[SMCARA] Latest from BNY and a request.

[R. J. Ramirez ARS W3BNY]

Well the vertical project is almost done.  Dug a trench...laid conduit...Pulled coax and control cables...made connections...spend two weeks on Motrin, Flexril and Vicodin (no joke, I tweeked myself good!) and got the radials laid down.  Gawd I am beginning to hate radials!  I am begining to imagine the angst and malise that would be running 120 of them for a commercial AM station!  Shoot me now!  Ahem...anyhow, I have 20 left to finish tacking down (I'm finishing the bastridges tonight!  Even if I have to break out the Colman lantern, 2kw worth of quartz spots, and my camping headlamp BECAUSE I WILL BE FINISHED AND DONE WITH THEM TONIGHT!  Amen, Alleluia, So mote it be!) and let me tell you.  I should have bought stock in the weed fabric staple market.  Cuz I bought...a lot!  and still have to pick up oh two more big bags on the way home.  

Preliminary tests are darn good.  I fired it up Easter Sunday and pumped 200 whole watts (ooooohhhh) into it and thank you St. Kolbe it didn't short our or smoke! (Side note:  For those that did not know, St. Kolbe is the patron saint of Amateur radio.  Full name is Fr. Maximilian Maria Kolbe and held the call sign of SP3RN and became an SK/Martyred August 14th 1941 in Auschwitz and was beatified in October of 1971.  CCD dismissed!)  Where was I.  Oh yeah, the SWR at the operating station looked good and the relays operate remotely as planed...WOOT!

Now for the final stage.  160/80M tuning.

I now ask nicely of you fine folks out there if anyone of you would be so kind...as to lend moi there MFJ analyzer for the weekend.  I promise not to smoke, toast, saute, or deep fry it.

And when the final tuning is done, I will toss in the Vapor Phase Corrosion Inhibitor (VpCI) bucket, seal up the lid, final tape and seal the coax and control power and be done with it.  Then see what this pup-in-ski will do now.  Hmm, that's not entirely true though.  I do need to drop the vertical and clean all the joints, re-NOALOX them, and put on new hose clamps at the joints.  Not a show stopper but needs to be done to really cap off the "overhaul" period.

Anyhow if you can hook me up, drop me an email or call me at work (301)394-1667 (don't forget to add a 1...I'm up in College Park area at ARL).

Thanks and will let you all know how the tuning goes.

73,

Ren W3BNY