[IRCA] Vertical back up

[mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx (Patrick Martin)]

After over 4 months without the vertical, when it came down on Dec 2,
2007 I finally got it back up this evening. But since the tree was
damaged in the storm, I decided not to put the tower back up in the top
of the tree. The winds are just too strong the past few years to take a
chance on totally losing the tree. I might anyway, but why push my luck.
The tree is an old Shore Pine with a branch about at the point of where
the top blew out years ago (21 feet). The huge branch goes up another 30
feet, so since there was no way to climb up that branch and too chancey
anyway, if I could. I decided to try the slingshot idea of sending a
weight on a fishline over the top of the branch. Well....that was not
sucessfull, and my aim wasn't great anway at 50 feet, So I went to plan
B, which I had used for years by putting the weight on the top of a pole
with the wire and dropping the weight over the limb and dropping down to
the ground with the wire.  Well in this case, the fishline was a better
idea, less of a chance to hang up on the branch 50 feet up there. Well,
that had issues too. First off, I found out the 40 pound fishline I had,
pull on it and "snap", so up to Fred Meyer and I bought some 60 pound
fishline and that still would break, but not as easy. So after trying it
the first time over a high limb and finding the line breaking, I had to
start over. Well, I am glad I did as the second time was the jewell, as
I got it higher, about 2 feet below the top of the tree on a 3/4 inch
branch, the highest one. Have you ever tried to lift nearly 40 feet of
steel and PVC pipe up in the air by yourself? Not an easy feat to say
the least. At least I aimed it up in the right direction and got against
the branches which helped support the pole, and that was 35 feet up
there.  But I did it, got the weight over the limb and popped down to
the ground. Then I had the job to pull the wire up the fishline and over
that limb and back down and of course when the wire reached the limb, it
got stuck. I dropped it back down and tried again. I finally got it over
the limb and pulled it back down to the ground.  I pulled my old ground
radial system back and hooked it back up and then hooked up a banana
plug at the end of the vertical, plugged it back into the junction box
and tried it out. Well...I was on 1320 and had Vancouver BC (CC
programming) dominant, but weak. With the open matching transformmer
sitting there in the rain for 4 months did not help the situation.
Cleaned it out and rehooked it up and I had normal S meter readings and
the thing works.  The main difference is the vertical is aimed abit to
the ENE, at an angle as the limb sticks out, but I don't think it
matters much, but I finally have my beverage phasing antenna back and I
think it is a bit higher than the old tower. Not by much, but even a
foot or two or even five can make quite a difference with a vertical.
Since the area to the N/NE is open for a few miles, the vertical here
becomes quite directional to the N/NE, but still makes a nice phasing
antenna. I am tired out after working today, add a  2 mile walk, and the
vertical workout, hi. I guess I cannot complain for an old man at 59.
hi. But I am happy, as I finally have all four of my antennas back. But
the question still stands, for how long? Will Mother Nature be nice next
Winter or not? Stay tuned...The show isn't over as yet...

73,

Patrick

Patrick Martin
KGED QSL Manager


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