[AK-VHF] antenna advice needed VE8RT

[Ron VE8RT]

   I'll begin by saying nothing moves quickly around here, maybe in
recent decades glaciers have been picking up speed and left me in the
till.  Last year about this time with help the 10M tilt over heavy duty
mast went up.  The rotator I was told needed to have a thrust bearing
(for a 3el HF beam), so I spent a few months tracking down affordable
brackets to mount the rotator and thrust bearing to the mast.  Barenco
in the UK  provided them, from the time I approached them to when they
were ready and paid for Brexit happened which in turn saved me money.
Then I started checking over the HF antenna which had been in storage
for a couple of years (bought second hand) and discovered it wasn't an
A3S but an A4S, that could use a little TLC.  With the mast tilted
over, the rotator and thrust bearing mounted, and all of the
counterweights in, its still much too heavy at the top end.  While I
sort out relocating the rotator much lower I'm considering using a
block and tackle to haul the loaded mast back up, but haven't decided
what should be on the top.  The options are, at the moment:
1) the A4S (but HF conditions haven't been very good, I'm not a
contester)
2) the long-boom 2M 10el (17 ft boom) beam with an AG-25 pre-amp
3) a five element 6M beam (again conditions haven't been favourable)
4) it would take a little longer to put together, a pair of
Innovantenna 432 12 el yagis

   Its a tilt over mast, I'll be able to re-visit this later, maybe
when the days are a bit longer.  I'd like to do 2) and 4) but haven't
sorted out the cross boom mounting on a 2" pipe for the 432 pair.

   Given that the nearest DX VHF operators are a long way away its a
touch decision.  Would the current weak signal VHF modes make 2M DX
possible (other than satellite)?

   I'd like to work on it this weekend.

   Thanks,

           Ron VE8RT DP22

-- 
Ron VE8RT <ve8rt at yknwt.ca>