June 24
Today was a long day that should have been short. Started out this morning to safety check the rigging before putting the antenna up top. The last thing I want is for the beast to collapse while I am underneath it. All checked out, had to redo some of the rigging knots because I prefer bolines to fisherman knots on line that absolutely will be under strain.
Seems that I forgot to prep any coax…duh. Well going through my stock of things trying to find just the right stuff. Had 2 lengths of RG-213…that is about 1.6dB loss per 100 feet. Need something better. I have a 100 feet of LMR 240 UF – about 2 dB loss, not good. How about some LMR 400? Nothing long enough. Either I am going to use the RG or I will have to break out my stash of Heilax.
I have several lengths of 1/2 inch heilax that was donated by friends in Dallas before I moved. But, do I have connectors and adapters? After much scrounging around in the junk box I found the adapters to go from the Heliax Ns to UHFs so I can get the coax past the house connectors. I will have to change things one of these days when I finally get everything installed.
So, I spent several hours hunting for thngs before I got to the task of terminating the Heliax. Of course the hunk of coax I chose ws the oddball 1/2 inch superflex not the standard half inch stuff. Now where are the other connector?
All is done, the coax is hanging from the underside of the deck and tomorrow the XYL and I will put the antenna on the mast. That will leave Friday to test and get ready for Field Day on Saturday. Hopefully I will operate here, in Kingsport with the Kingsport Club and hopefully with the Johnson City club. It will be a busy Saturday running here and there and at 6:30 running down to the Maple Grove in Unicoi for a Morris family reunion.