KA1GJU Super Station #4 160M antenna not good!

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KA1GJU
Posts: 263
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 2:16 pm

KA1GJU Super Station #4 160M antenna not good!

#1

Unread post by KA1GJU »

Climbed twice today in the high winds (but warm 23c/73f temps) to fix the 160M antenna up at 90'. I replaced the center insulator and added a few inches of antenna wire to accommodate the stretch of the antenna rope used to carry the weight of the antenna. This was an issue before where the antenna wire would break inside the insulation and be intermittent. Still acting like a broken wire making intermittent contact in the wind. Climbed again, with a new pigtail to convert the 1" coax to 1/2" RG-213. Still acting with an intermittent connection. I think the antenna wire has a break somewhere in the 112' long legs somewhere. Will have to climb yet again, with a new antenna to fix it.

73 Kriss KA1GJU
73 Kriss KA1GJU Home of the KA1GJU Super Station SDRC Servers in NH, USA (FN42mw & FN43na)

User avatar
KA1GJU
Posts: 263
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 2:16 pm

Re: KA1GJU Super Station #4 160M antenna not good!

#2

Unread post by KA1GJU »

Came back from four days of flying and found the break in the antenna, about 6 feet from the feed point. Wire was just hanging from the feed point insulator, very obvious! Plus it was another warm day here in NH, so I climbed up and spliced the two ends together. Good match 1:1 with the IC-7300 on most of the 160M band! :)
Now attached to one of the two Airspy units, so 160M lives again as well as the AM BC band, since no AM BC filter on this server! That's because there is no SDRPlay on this one. Once again, as a friendly PSA (Public Service Announcement), If I am operating my IC-7300 remote base, Super Station #4 HF antennas are disconnected. Typically Sunday AM's from 1500z to 1600z while I host the Seacoast Net on 3895 kHz. Or if I'm not flying the unfriendly skies, possibly from 2000z to 2200z while hanging out on 3928kHz. Since there is still daylight, I'm usually out working on projects though!

Enjoy!

73 Kriss KA1GJU
Home of the KA1GJU Super Stations
73 Kriss KA1GJU Home of the KA1GJU Super Station SDRC Servers in NH, USA (FN42mw & FN43na)

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