So did the mast work ?

So, the question needs to be asked......

Did it work ?

Well the answer is ( I Think ) a resounding yes :)

The reason for no posts recently (other than being busy at work) is that I have entered two yes two contests.

Ground Level (more or less!)

The Practical Wireless 144Mhz low power and the 50Mhz Trophy contest.

Here are some pictures of the 144Mhz set-up the first one is it ready to be pumped up and the second one is it fully pumped up and ready to use.

Did it work - well I think the answer is definitely yes ! I ended up with 77 contacts (remember this is a low power - in this case 3W) contest, the furthest away being GI4 which is 419Km away, also some first for me with my first GM station on 144Mhz, as well as my first Isle Of Man station and my first French station on two - for me a brilliant personal result - I've entered the contest but as it is predominantly a portable contest I'm unsure how a fixed station like myself will be placed, several portable stations I worked had very large serial numbers !!!!

Final Height - and in use.

The best part was 30 minutes after the contest had finished, I had dismantled the antenna, the mast was 'let down' and stored away and everything was back to a 'normal' garden.

So it absolutely hit the mark with regard to the design spec that I set myself on both the time to get ready and the time to remove it.

It was so successful that I decided I would try the next weekend the 50Mhz Trophy Contest  (RSGB), This is a 24 hour contest, but does have a six hour fixed station section (6F) that seemed reasonable.

So I removed the 6M antenna from the loft space (this is a dual band 6M/4M with 3 elements for 6M and 4 for 4M).  I used the same arrangement that I  used for the previous weekends 144Mhz contest, but learnt that I could use the step ladder to aid the mounting of the rotator and antenna, and help make this truly a 'one man' operation. Here are a couple of pictures of the antenna in place and at the full height.

50/70Mhz Dual Band Antenna @ full height

As you can see it looks good (well I think so!), it was pretty gusty and so this time I took the precaution of putting two guys in the direction of the prevailing wind.

I'm pretty sure it didn't need it as it wasn't moving at all before I deployed them, but better safe than sorry.

Again, did it work ?

Well I think again a resounding yes !

I worked 38 stations, with a combined score of 340825 (claimed) , conditions were very poor, with only one or two sporadic E openings, my best DX was ES1MM/2 in  locator KO59DI this is a distance of 2045km. I also worked my first GM on 6M, and into Iceland. 

50/70Mhz Antenna close up

Whilst I was very pleased with the overall set-up and how things went the conditions were truly dire. Considering I only have a 3 element antenna and only use 100W I did pretty well, I'm currently 4th in the 6F part of the contest. Others are running larger antenna's and much more power (2 or 3 times more) so not too bad in my view.

Again the mast came down really quickly and within 25 minutes, it was back to a 'normal' garden with no mast or antenna visible.

So is the mast a success - On balance I think yes, two contest entered, both pretty convincingly - which I wouldn't have been able to without the mast. result :)

Now to up the power on 6M and get a better antenna - onwards and upwards - literally !!!!

Ordered my 144Mhz antenna

After all my hard work on the mast, I thought I would give it an airing in the PW 144Mhz low power contest this weekend (Sunday).


This is a low power (3W) contest and so it will be interesting to see how it goes. Of course to do this I need an antenna and so after looking around I thought I would try the 9 element 144MHz OWL Super-Light Yagi made by.innovantennas in Essex (www.innovantennas.com) to a G0KSC design.

Looks like a good gain figure and also a reasonable boom length as well. I will be picking it, as they are quite near where I am during the week, up so that I will have it ready for the weekend.

Now just to get the feeder and the rotator all sorted :) - I've got both (including the rotator cable) just got to get them all connected and sorted out. Something for Saturday I think.

50Mhz - what a band !

You've got to love it !

For most of the week, well all of it actually I'm located away from home and recently i've put one my FT817ND's in the flat so I can have a tune around when I feel like it.

With 50Mhz being open a lot recently I thought I'd have a quick listen when I got in from work, it was open, and unbelieveably with just the standard antenna connected to the front panel I made a contact.

It was with IC8TEM located in JN70CN - Capri Island  he was strong here (JO01IM) and gave me a 59 I returned the complement. 

That was with 2.5W (max) to a rubber duck antenna indoors -  a distance 1597Km as the crow flies

Not a record but pretty amazing really :)

73's
Chris

Lovely weekend - more work on the mast

So last Monday (Bank Holiday) I fixed the seals in the Mast (see my last Blog post) , it was a lovely day yesterday, and so I set about putting the plan for the mast in action.

Mast, small Granddaughter, and black Lab,
and yes I know the mast's not vertical, its
just a test !!

First I got the ground mount sorted.

As discussed in my last post I used a fence post spike 600mm long, which after grinding, drilling and welding provided a great ground connection for the mast.

I then set about thinking how to make sure the mast stood vertically and safely. In the end I decided on a three legged tripod which can be taken apart when not in use, I again cut, welded and drilled three legs (adjustable using butterfly nuts - a nice touch I thought :).

;

Lovely blue skies :) 

I hammered the ground spike in the ground, and test fitted the mast, all looked good, I then test fitted the legs, a bit touch and go, but after some re-engineering on the fly, all looked good, although I couldn't find the right size butterfly nuts and so final test assembly would have to wait until Sunday.

Mast from another angle, minus
Granddaughter and dogs :)

So Sunday arrives, bright and lovely, I decide to go to the Spalding Radio Rally in the morning, where I spend a pleasant hour or so wandering around, by a couple of things, got hold of a Gigatronics power meter which needs a remote head for £25 which I think is a good buy.

Return home via hardware shop to get right size butterfly nuts and bolts, complete final assembly, and then for the first time, try it out, mast pumps up beautifully, holds up without locking it, but I lock it anyway for safety. With the tripod it's really sturdy, even in the gusty wind, a real result, even the family are impressed :)

Basically it works !,perhaps  a little 'agricultural' in engineering terms, but then I'm an electronic engineer by training not a mechanical one !!. I still have some fine tuning to do but as you can see from the pictures dotted through the blog showing the fruits of my labour it worked, any comments most welcome :) . At this rate I might make am entry into the Practical Wireless low power 144Mh contest next weekend,  if I can find a suitable 2M beam 

Mast what Mast !

To top it all of course, 6M was wide open again into Europe in the afternoon via Sporadic E, worked way down into Greece, Italy, Spain and quite 'short skip' E into Germany, France and Austria. If only I'd done this earlier I might have been using the mast with a decent 50Mhz antenna on the top !! - ohh well never mind perhaps that's only a week or two away, might be ready for the 50Mhz open contest !!!


Below are a few final of pictures showing the ground mount spike / swivel and the mast in its stowed position, I haven't bothered removing it from the ground spike at the moment. Also considering if it needs to have guys as well as the tripod mount, might do so just in case, especially with a rotator and beam on top :)



Just goes to prove, where there's a will there is most definitely a way !!! 

It certainly fulfilled the design brief I set myself ...

Ground mount, mast vertical

Mast lowered and horizontal (can be removed from
ground spike if needed)

Close up of ground spike, the mast can be removed from
this by undoing the knob on top and the two silver machine
screws on the side