[SJDXA] Site report

[N2OO]

Yesterday KI4KWR, N2HYG and I spent several hours at the site working on projects. 
The 40 meter inverted vee has been replaced on the SE tower. Coax connectors on Several lengths of spare lengths of coax were replaced or installed. 
We looked in the aluminum pile and found that there were two 18mhz commercial dipoles marked as resonant for around 18.7mhz. We need to test them. If they test good, it should be easy to adjust one for 18.1 MHz. An easy installation would be to put on top of the SW tower fixed NE/SW as a dipole. Should work quite well and give us a new band. We might even be able to adjust one for 12 meters by shortening the element. TBD. 
We also looked more carefully at the SE and SW towers and determined that they are pretty substantial and should handle any normal sized beam antenna. Once some trees are removed from around the SE tower, it will make adding antennas to top feasible. Right now, it is not. However the SW tower is pretty accessible. Of course the NW tower with our TA33SR is fully accessible. The NE tower seems to be a little less stable although we didn't really take time to look at it yesterday. But it needs to be inspected more closely before we consider adding anything to it. It also has plenty of trees close around it that will need to be cleared out. Currently it is holding our 80 meter inverted vee. 
We also found enough aluminum from the pile to fairly easily build a 40 meter vertical. The old wooden stand that holds the very old open wire feedline termination would make an excellent support. There are even 4 hardline coax cables on it. If we can locate the other end probably in the crawlspace then the coax feed would be fairly simple. Adding  radials on the marsh would be easy too. Another possibility to consider, if the 40 works, would be to make a similar one for 80 somehow. TBD. 
Finally, we reviewed the proposed new coax box to be placed behind the shed. The plan is to run at least 6 lengths of mini8 coax to it for all of the assorted beverages which would free up all of the coax in the current box behind the building for any future antenna projects out that direction. 
Next time we have a site work party, we will be replacing bad and installing new coax connectors in both rear outside boxes. 
We only have about one month of bug free time left for any project work.  Otherwise we'll have to wait until around October to continue. 
We will try again on May 11 



73. Bob Schenck, N2OO

Sent from my iPhone 
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