[SFDXA] Today's antenna party, and a Dayton request

[Ed Callaway]

Today KE4PT and I went to K4FK to install a balun on the 30/40m dipole pair, and to put the 80/160m dipole pair back up on the tower, also with a balun.  The north half of both the 80 and 160m dipoles has fallen down from the tower, as has the south side of the 80m dipole.

We added a balun to the 30/40m dipole pair successfully.  It's possible that I am deceiving myself, but I think I saw a noise reduction of about 10 dB compared to the prior value.  (It's still 10 dB higher than 20m, but still.)

When we went to the North tower to begin work on the 80/160m dipole pair, I was disappointed to find that the 160m dipole was made of FLEX-WEAVE.  FLEX-WEAVE is made of many fine, soft-drawn copper wires arranged in a mesh, not unlike solder wick, which gives it its flexibility.  Unfortunately, it also gives it a very high surface area-to-volume ratio, so that once oxidation (corrosion) starts, it very rapidly consumes the wire and failure is certain.  It was this mechanism that caused the failure of the antennas on the North tower (and also of the 30/40m FLEX-WEAVE dipoles on the South tower last year.)

Fortunately, the 80m dipole uses #14 AWG hard-drawn copper, complete with insulation.

So, in short, we need to replace the 160m dipole, which means that I have a shopping request for someone going to Dayton:

300 feet of Wireman p/n 531, Toughcoat 'Silky' #13 AWG, 19 strand 40% CCS wire.

Is someone going to Dayton that can pick this up for the Association?  Reimbursement, of course, is assured.

Thanks, and 73,

Ed N4II.