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Romstar
Member
Username: Romstar
Post Number: 77
Registered: 3-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, April 08, 2007 - 3:14 pm: | 
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So, I'm tired of listening to static. Anyone who has seen the picture of my antenna will appreciate how low it actually is. Total height of the feed point off the ground is 35 feet. That put's the antenna at best, 50 feet at it's tip.
Considering I am in a gully, with obstructions in almost every direction this presents a problem.
My solutions are, #1 move, which isn't very likely right now, or #2, put up a tower. So, I am out and about reading about towers, and looking at some pictures here on the forums and generally figuring out how to get over my fear of heights when I come across the following which really bothers me somewhat......
This one needs an introduction, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:
"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."
"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."
"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."
Now, if you have read this far, you may have recognized this little story. I've seen it before under the title of "bricklayer" and some other titles. No matter if it's an urban myth, or if it's some long lost truth, it still brings home my fear of heights.
I hope y'all got a smile at least. Wish me luck while I go looking for tower parts and start digging a big hole.
Romstar |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1651
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 09, 2007 - 11:07 am: |
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Romstar.
I saw that little story about 30 years ago in a broadcast magazine. It was printed as a joke by the humor columnist.
As for your antenna trouble, I have a possible solution. If you increase your ground coupling, you can reduce your noise, and also get more transmitted power out of that gully you are in. Bury a fan of copper ground radials in a spider web pattern with the center of the spread at the base of the antenna. Bond the radial common point to the bottom of the antenna with copper wire. Increasing your ground coupling will lower your takeoff angle, help your signal 'hug' the curvature of the landscape, and reduce receiver noise by providing a low impedance drain for static and noise. |
Dale
Advanced Member
Username: Dale
Post Number: 736
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 09, 2007 - 11:11 am: |
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well your really not that low at all.1wavelenth is 36ft and your feedpoint is 35 so thats only 1 foot.now ya want local range improvement .is there any locals in your area?or ya wanna improve dx hes my suggestions
improving local conditions
raise antenna
get different antenna maco v5000 or imax2k
improving skip conditions like cef nets
best thing to do for this is get flatside beam
m-103-m-108 and put it up flatsided with stck directly aboive it.a beam on flatside will greatly improve dx conditions if theres any
dale/a.k.a.hotrod
cef426
cvc#64
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Romstar
Member
Username: Romstar
Post Number: 78
Registered: 3-2007
| | Posted on Monday, April 09, 2007 - 5:37 pm: |
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Paul,
If you take a peek at the picture of my antenna in the user's pictures area, you will see the mast is run up the side of the house. The thing you can't see is that 10 feet away from the back of the house is a brook. I can't do grounding radials at all in that location. As a matter of fact, after very careful consideration, there isn't a single place in the entire yard that I have the room in all directions to do an in-ground radial system. I'm kinda messed in that regard.
I'll take a few more pictures to try and explain my "problem" in this location.
Dale, the configuration you are suggesting is similar to what I was going to do with a tower. If you could get a look at where I am located, and what I have to deal with you would be amazed that we ever used to talk out of this place. Believe me though, it did work so there is hope.
Thanks guys.
Romstar |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 2476
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 09, 2007 - 8:58 pm: |
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romstar,
i think the answers you are getting might be missing an integral part of why you are only hearing static.
remember, its the VERY bottom of the sunspot cycle right now.
skip conditions are pretty much non existent.
no matter how high you put your antenna, or how many watts you push through it; you are not going to hear or talk to anyone far away from you without the help of the ionosphere.
even the big strappers on ch. 6 who have 100'+ towers, 6 element beams, and over 10,000 watts cannot get out right now.
i am all for raising your antenna as high as possible, and a big tower will certainly help alot when the conditions return in about a year, but dont have unrealistic expectations about what you will hear until then.
now, if you were to put that tower up, and erect an 80 meter inverted V dipole, you could have some shortwave listening fun, which is the best we can hope for as far as DX is concerned.
best of luck, oh, i do high rigging for stage shows and have had to hang off of a harness 100' above a stage with a welding helmet on.
i understand your fear!
that you are fearful is good!
it will keep you alive.
the big secret is logic and math.
neither one is able to lie, so once you learn how to use them; you can trust them with your life.
and you will be when putting up a big tower.
use the proper equipment. dont cheap out on ANY link in the chain, and always have a "safety".
matt
anyone wanting a "clean signal", just look to the left and build one of these!!!
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Bullseye
Intermediate Member
Username: Bullseye
Post Number: 301
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 09, 2007 - 9:54 pm: |
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I don't know about the sunspots or the ionosphere but having done structural steel(welding on very tall buildings) fear is a good thing if you can control it if not it is cheaper to hire someone than hurt or kill yourself trying to overcome that fear. As for the conditions for radio all I know is that ever since I can remember,Dads been into radio since the early '70's and I have pictures of me with a D-104 at 3 or 4, they come and go so don't fear they will return sometimes for a night,a week or longer but they will be back.
Bullseye/CEF#110/Mem. Since 1/18/2002
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Splbass17
Junior Member
Username: Splbass17
Post Number: 43
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Monday, April 09, 2007 - 9:50 pm: |
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It looks like a high powered washing machine w/ a bird meter haha |
Romstar
Member
Username: Romstar
Post Number: 80
Registered: 3-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 - 1:09 am: |
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Thanks Matt, you too Bullseye.
Matt, you should see what I am rigging up on the roof right now. An attachment point for my safety harness. I think I may suffer from vertigo or something because 25-30 feet in the air isn't all that high, but when I get up there and look down, the persepective is a b****.
I have a few prospective places for a tower. Looks like it's going to be a tilt design though, because the idea of climbing the thing really gets me. Now, if I had a crane and a harness I would be fine. Don't know why that is, but I have done "crane" work before, and it never really bothered me. Well, okay, I lie a bit. I was still scared, but not that weird "I'm gonna fall" scared. Kinda hard to explain. Climbing something really gets me in the pit of my stomach.
Anyway Matt, I know that I can't make magic simply by going higher. The real issue is that I am quite literally in a gully. I AM going to try to get a picture of this so that other people can see my problem.
The DX will take care of itself. I want to get it up there for "local" and DX.
Thanks for the replies fellas.
Romstar |
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