Antenna Takedown – Part 4

March 18, 2025

After a day of rain, it was time to get back to work. Three 40-meter beams on the ground in the backyard are an embarrassment of riches. I started with the one that had been up 32 years. This antenna had all of the W6QHS modifications and was very stout. The only issue with the antenna over time was with the feed point… and when lightning destroyed one of the loading coils. It needed to be broken down into the shortest possible pieces so it could be shipped down to V44KAI in St. Kitts.

The center joints of the two elements were not going to come apart. With a lot of hammering, I got the boom apart in the middle.

The original Cushcraft hardware was showing its age.

March 21, 2025

Another day, another 40-2CD to take apart. This one had only been up for 2 years and came apart very easily.

More cable rolling. I had not fully appreciated how many coax and control cables were heading up the hill. The pile of aluminum and wire continued to grow.

I also spent some time tensioning the temporary guy wires at 10′.

March 22, 2025

Saturday morning was another perfect weather day. Mark KW1X and Martin AA1ON arrived before 9 am. The first order of business was to finish tower #2. We positioned the gin pole.

I came down and we then loosened the remaining set of guy wires. With a little help from the tower jack, the sections came apart easily and were soon on the ground. We had a 10′ tower with a 12′ steel mast inside.

Other than being heavy, the mast did not present much of a problem. With it out of the way, we could lift the section and base plate off the pier pin. Mission accomplished!

The total work time from 40′ to zero, including some work on the temporary guys, was 1 hour 30 minutes.

We moved on quickly to tower #1. It was still at 60′ with two sets of guys. The wind came up a bit, with a few gusts, but not really a factor with just the tower to work on. We installed the temporary guys that had been moved from the other tower.

Once again, there is nothing like that feeling of being 4 sections above the last guy wire.

This tower had been up for 32 years. The Rohn galvanized nuts and bolts usually came apart without issue. There were a few sections where the bolt holes were not perfectly aligned and required a few hits with a wrench to remove. We needed the tower jack to help free every section.

Removing guy wire wires had one small surprise. These anchor points were all above grade 32 years ago. Now the bottom bolt required some hand digging to access.

We had a decision to make when we reached the section with the guy wires at 29′. The steel mast was 20′ long. We did not have enough manpower to lift it out of the tower. Do we stop and wait for another day? I used the ‘phone a local’ option and texted N1PGA to see if he was available. He showed up 30 minutes later just as we were at the 20′ level.

We needed him for the next task! We put a U-clamp around the mast at the 11′ level. The gin pole pulley could get to 10′ above the tower. The ground crew lifted the mast until there was no more rope available between the pulley and the clamp. The mast was still more than a foot inside the tower. With some maneuvering, I was able to guide the mast through a gap in the side of the tower. It slid through and the mast was on the ground. Whew!

We lifted the bottom section and plate off the base. Another bittersweet moment (for me).

Thanks to John N1PGA for coming over to help us finish the job!

It was now around 3:30 pm. A lot had been accomplished and we happily headed to lunch at the local drive-in.

I came back later and started carrying things down from the tower. There were guy wires, cables, and other bits and pieces that all needed to come down the hill.

When removing guy wires, I had been pulling them out of the guy brackets and then throwing them off the tower. I know this was probably not ideal, but I was aiming away from the rocks. As I was cleaning things up, I discovered this torque arm from one of the guys at 90′. I can’t imagine the forces needed to bend one of these. Lesson learned – don’t throw stuff you want to use again off the tower!

The second bone pile was starting to grow as well.

March 23, 2025

I took apart the last 40m beam. And doing more cable rolling.

I also spent some time packing things up inside. The station was disappearing before my eyes.

Next is a trip to K3LR for WPX SSB and then to Ohio, where I have an appointment with a contractor to dig the holes for the new towers.