[SJDXA] 160 work party report

[N2OO]

Following from John. FYI. 
Attendees:  N2HM, N2OO, KI4KWR, W2CG W2GD and W2OB

Executive Summary:  160 TX array was successfully installed.  Tuning seems to be about what was seen last November.  NE phased beverage was cabled.  CG set up and configured three computers for ARRL 160.

Details:  We were blessed with perfect weather.  Absolutely NO WIND and the temperature in the comfortable upper 40s.  When putting up wires, the NO WIND part is an absolute gift.  Water level at the tower was average to below average.  Only HM got seriously 'stuck' in the muck ... once.  

Thanks Tom for passing along the critical info on where to position the loop between guys.  We can verify the info is totally accurate and took the guess work out of this aspect of the install.

The Delta loop element was closely examined before being pulled out to the marsh.  Two damaged spots were identified, one was taped, the other required a splice to ensure structural integrity.  We even soldered the splice.😊

The SW vertical dipole went up first as planned.  Other than the pull away rope getting temporarily stuck under a tree branch, all went smoothly.  The 500' SW tower rope is in excellent condition.  

GD and HM examined every foot of the NE 500 foot tower rope.  Only two or three spots required some precautionary application of tape to prevent further fraying.  I feel we can expect another two or three years of reliable service barring any unforeseen calamity.  

The delta loop and NE vertical dipole were laid out on the ground and new 200' runs of 750 lb test paracord rope were attached to the loop corners.  The loop and NE dipole were hoisted into place with the rope splice homed solidly at the pulley (no twist in the rope to prevent full elevation).  The ends were worked around the guys and temporarily secured.  GD climbed the tower and attached the feedlines to the at 95 feet, pulling the RG8X away from the feedpoints more or less horizontally.  The two ends of the horizontal leg of the delta loop were spliced together and the ends pulled away.  Clearance was verified from all guy wires.  Coax was dressed down the tower.  Hard line connectors were cleared of their protective coverings and found in good condition.  RF tests were run with N2OO in the shack to verify all coax connections were solid.  SWR curves are not perfect but deemed acceptable (we essentially observed the same curves as last year).   Marsh work completed at 2:15 pm.

HM and GD laid out the cabling for the NE two element phased beverage and completed the installation, running the feedline along the driveway for ease of access.

GD deployed the blue Cat5 control cable for the HI-Z Four system ... providing Danno a clear path to the verticals.  All four verticals were visually verified as intact.

CG will not be with us ARRL 160 weekend.  So Marty set up the three computers including updates to the Country and SCP files.  He also set up score posting and verified telnet operation.  

We departed the site at 4:15 p.m.feeling mission accomplished.  

OO/KWR/HM Please Note:  While driving north on Route 9, line noise was observed in front of the Ice Cream and Bait Stores just north of Murphy Drive.  Not overwhelmingly loud but clearly the noise was obvious on the car AM radio tuned to 1640.   

 
Outdoor work to be completed (Work Party Tuesday November 14th):

Install 9:1 transformers and coax cables on N/S, East, NW, West, and SW beverages.  Complete and verify cabling to shack.  Verify beverage operation.

Install Hi-Z Four cabling and individual element amplifiers.  Complete cabling to shack.  Verify switching and operation. 

Walk beverages and make repairs as needed.  While installing the NE beverage cables today, a rather significant number of new downed trees were observed.  

As of tonight W2NO, W2GD and N2OO will be on-site on Tuesday.  We can use some additional assistance so this work can easily be completed in a few hours .  WX outlook for Tuesday is dry and not too cold.

GD

PS: This past Thursday and Saturday, Bob N2HM, Steve KWR, John NA2R, Paul N2HYG and I installed the new 2” buried PVC feed and termination box out to the HM shed. It has a pull string ready for pulling coax. ALSO, Paul installed PL259’s on the remaining 2 coax cables in the North coax termination box (now has 4 prepared). 
Today (Sunday) Arnie and I measured out five 100 foot lengths of the new RG8X today. I also gathered the needed 10 PL259s and appropriate reducers. They will need to be installed on one end of each of the lengths, then pulled in from the new outside “Shed mounted box” by pulling through the opposite cut end of the five lengths (plus an extra pull string) into the crawl and up into the shack. Then will need to install the other five PL259s on the shack end.  Finally test, assign numbers S-1 through S-5 and label both ends.  Then mount 5 new barrels in patch panel under desk and label them. Attach cables to rear of appropriate barrels. Done. I’d like to do this part on Tuesday. We have a plan if we have a crawl space man and a connector installer expert. 
The end result will be 2 beverages will be fed from the new Shed box that should reduce the coax lengths by at least 200 feet each (3 spares). 3 beverages will continue to be fed from the rear termination box (many spares). The NE beverage and the 4 square will continue to be fed from the North termination box (2 spares). All 3 boxes will have ample spare feeds if needed. 
We will also test and verify/check labels on all cables in the rear and North boxes. 
De N2OO. 

Let us know if you can assist on Tuesday. Will be at the site around 9-930 AM. 

73. Bob Schenck, N2OO

Sent from my iPhone 
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