Call: K5ZD
Operator(s): K5ZD
Station: K5ZD
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: MA
Operating Time (hrs): 20.4
OpMode: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
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160: 0
80: 307
40: 180
20: 308
15: 273
10: 43
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Total: 1111 Sections = 84 Total Score = 186,648
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments
My 46th consecutive year of more than 1000 QSOs in Sweepstakes CW.
After 10,000 QSOs last weekend from V4 (contest + playing around) and late return home on Tue night, I struggled to get motivated for this contest. I reassembled my station on Sat morning and decided I would see how it went.
The first 3 hours were great. Maybe best ever.
Not sure what happened to 40m. 10-20 were great, but 40 was long well before I got there. Retreated to 80 and it was good. The band was quiet and long.
But, by 0300z, I could tell the activity was not high enough to avoid the grind. By 0500z I was dragging so I decided to break early and go for a longer period of sleep than usual. (I remember years ago when you almost had to do the first 12 hours solid to be competitive.)
Rates were not better in the morning. Everyone on the live scoreboard seemed to be locked into a slow-motion rate of about 30 per hour. I decided to go for my goal of making 1000 QSOs and call it good.
Easy clean sweep. Had the hard ones out of the way early. Just needed NL and found VO1BQ on 20m Sunday morning. Always a relief to get that one out of the way. Last California section was LAX. Would never have expected that!
Mission accomplished. I ended on a round number of 1111 QSOs with 2 hours still to go.
Was entertaining to watch the scoreboard as AA3B raced off to a big lead and then N2NC @ N2NT slowly reeled him in. Even when I was pushing at my hardest it seemed that NC would make 1-3 more QSOs per hour than I did.
The contest began a week before on Saturday with a 3am departure from home to make a 5:45 am flight out of Boston. Met up with N2NT in Miami and on to St Kitts. We got right to work and in 3.5 days had fixed some antennas and added new ones. It was warm and humid. We then spent another day getting the shack arranged with new antenna switching automation from Green Heron Engineering. I dropped Andy off at the airport on Thursday at noon so he could fly home and then join the K3LR team for the contest.
I spent the rest of the day fighting software conflicts and peculiarities. Things that seemed simple at home are not the same once you have taken them apart and tried to reassemble them in a new environment. One discovery was that the Green Heron server needed to be started before the Microham router.
I had to use DXLog because it worked with the Green Heron switching. I took a crash course in learning the software the week before I left home. It worked flawlessly. The main issue was the op not being able to type fast enough or falling asleep between QSOs.
I got good sleep during the week but was feeling the effects of the station-building efforts as the contest approached. Decided to power through the first night and then make the decision if I would sleep the second night. In retrospect, I could have skipped two slow hours for a 90-minute nap and made up for it during the high rates on Sat morning. I started to get loopy on Sat evening around 0100z. I kept zoning out in the middle of a QSO. Even so, it looks like I worked more than a hundred QSOs that I don’t really remember.
Bands were slow to open on Sat so got to spend an hour or so on 20, then 15, and then finally to 10m. Kept working between 10 and 15, but probably should have committed to the endless stream of stations on 10m. Sunday was better with 10m open just 30 mins after sunrise.
Rates were incredible. QRM was the biggest limiting factor. Had a great frequency on 10m Sunday morning until TM0DX decided to land about 5 Khz away with his 10 Khz of splatter.
Some line noise had appeared as we were setting up on Wed afternoon. The power company came out Thu (amazingly!) and was able to cut the lines until they found the source. It was down the road, but the noise was radiating the most from the dead-end pole closest to the station. The noise was annoying on all bands except for a period on Sunday morning, but I could usually find an antenna that could hear. This did make me a bit of an alligator on 20m.
Always amazing how many YB stations call in. It seems that path is open across all bands at any time. Even worked one on 75m.
Even though I had two radios, DXLog reported only 120 S&P QSOs. I was almost entirely in run mode and used the second radio to scope out frequencies for band changes.
On Sunday morning I was starting to feel pain in my throat from all the talking. Tried to use the voice keyer more, but still had to say all the callsigns.
Where were the Africans? Mostly worked EA8 stations + CN3A and a 5R. That was it!
One of the new antennas we put up was a Double L for 160m. We had hoped to hang it from an 80′ tower but discovered the top of the tower was too rusted to safely climb. Decided on hanging from 60′. The SWR curve was perfect. We did work two Europeans on Wednesday evening. But, conditions on 160 during the contest were terrible. I worked all multipliers that I heard but did not feel loud. Need another contest to determine if this antenna is a keeper or not.
Hard to complain or make excuses about a contest where you make 9500 QSOs! Even so, sure would like to have made it to 10k. A bit less line noise and it may have been possible. High level contesting is all about hearing the weak guys and it was tough at times.
Thanks to Andy N2NT for allowing me to use the station. He has done an incredible amount of work to build and maintain the place. It is a dream radio location on a 1200′ hill just a mile or so from the ocean with a horizon view from North to East.
The station is very isolated. After the contest, I packed everything up and was ready to come down to town, but the jeep would not start. V44KAI saved the day by driving up and cleaning the corrosion off the battery cables. Whew. Would have been a tough place to get AAA…
Looking forward to seeing other single-op scores from the region to see what I may have missed. Doing 45 hours of running, you get a very small view of the full contest activity and propagation. I had a blast doing the contest and will be very happy with any result. Thanks to everyone that called in.
The full contest was recorded and is available at the link below. You can enjoy my struggles with the QRM and line noise while hearing how your station sounded on my end.
160M 80M 40M 20M 15M 10M Total
K 26 336 885 1364 1217 1447 5275
DL 27 38 58 146 242 511
I 27 49 27 113 158 374
VE 2 11 64 126 72 84 359
G 15 18 34 70 160 297
EA 17 30 23 58 118 246
F 25 25 19 68 105 242
PA 8 11 21 39 83 162
SP 10 10 13 49 54 136
OH 9 17 14 33 31 104
Postscript
The final results came out and, as expected, I finished #2 in the World behind N6KT at PJ4K. Very proud of the effort.
Rank Call Cty Category Score QSOs Zones Cty Hours Op
1 PJ4K PJ4 SO HIGH ALL 16,224,072 9,386 153 444 44.6 N6KT
2 V47T V4 SO HIGH ALL 13,340,329 9,403 137 462 45.4 K5ZD
The band breakdowns were interesting to see both in how they are similar, yet different.
The impact of the 2-point vs 3-point scoring in CQWW is significant. I have access to the CQWW logs and log checking software so I made a few tests to see how the scores compare if we were both on the same continent. It would have been close!
For example, if both of us were in South America
QSOs QPts Zone Cty Mult Score
V47T 9403 27603 137 462 599 16,534,197
PJ4K 9386 27170 153 444 597 16,220,490
I was looking forward to this contest. Conditions are improving as the sunspot numbers rise. And it was a good chance to evaluate the results of 6 months of antenna work (new 2/2 stack on 40m). Very happy with the results – the antenna seems to work better than my old 2-el.
The contest started well. After a nap in the wee hours, woke up to bands that seemed broken. 15m was really a struggle to work anything. Almost quit, but took a break and decided to get back in the game.
Conditions improved dramatically through Sat afternoon. Sunday was very good with even a 30-minute opening on 10m to southern Europe. Nice to work so many loud JA on 20 and 15m.
Spent (wasted) a lot of time calling HS5NMF on 20. Couldn’t get through the European pileup.
I had intended to sleep from 02-04z on Sunday, but when the alarm went off, I decided sleep was more fun than grinding QSOs. I woke up late, worked an hour, then went back to bed. So I felt great on Sunday but gave up some low band points and mults.
Enjoyed watching the scoreboard race between AA3B and K1LZ. I could keep up with them for QSOs, but they just kept getting farther and farther ahead for multipliers. Shows the value of having access to spots.
I was CQing as much as possible. Often on 2 bands when there were two open. That really helped the rate although I never had any giant hours. It is kind of like playing a video game with the occasional mangled callsign to figure out.
My biggest surprise was working a KL7 on 80m. Followed by having VJ5W call in.
The only state that I missed was MT. Never heard one. Thanks to K1AR for moving to 10m to give me NH on that band. Missed CT on 10 and 15.
I continue to be impressed by how RTTY operating is becoming more and more efficient. Except for those loud guys that insist on sending their call 6 times (all of them printing perfectly…).
The Cushcraft 40-2CD and XM-240 use identical loading coils on the driven and reflector elements to help shorten the overall element length. The original design of the loading coils used a sheet metal screw to attach the wire coil to the aluminum element. Even though it is covered by heat shrink tubing, it becomes a point of failure when the sheet metal screw begins to corrode.
I recently rebuilt two 40-2CD antennas and had the need to renew the loading coil connections.
View of a corroded sheet metal screw when the heat shrink is removedAnother sheet metal screw that is in better condition
The first step is to remove the screw and clean everything up.
Element and wire cleaned
Drill a hole through the element. This will allow use of a stainless steel nut and bolt for a much more secure connection. I used a washer to help hold the wire. Also applied a dab of SS Jet-30 to improve conductivity.
New stainless nut and bolt attachment
I then used some rubber liner tape to wrap the connection point to make it as waterproof as possible.
Tape over the connection to make as waterproof as possible
I then used some 1.25″ heat shrink tubing to cover the complete loading coil.
Heatshrink tubing covering the loading coil
Simply repeat this process for each loading coil. This small effort will prevent a common failure point for the 40-2CD antenna.
Sorry I didn’t record all the part sizes that I purchased at the local hardware store, but here they are in a photo.
For reference, here is a loading coil with all of the shrink wrap tubing removed.
This is a continuation of the story of my project to replace one of my ham radio towers. Read part 1 first.
July 23, 2022
I got a great deal on some LDF5-50A 7/8″ hardline. It arrived in two pieces, but as luck would have it, they were both perfect for what I needed. The 240′ run got to the base of the new tower. The 290′ run got to the base of the tower with the TH7, A3WS, and 6m beam.
Needed connectors and found some on e-Bay. Minimal instructions. Finally found a manual from Andrews about installing connectors that filled in some of the gaps. Took me a few tries to figure out the proper way to install them. Hoping the hardline will provide a significant improvement in loss over the previous 75 ohm CATV feedline.
New hardline connector and cable entrance
July 24, 2022
I continued working on trying to convert the two and a half used 40-2CD antennas that I had on hand into the making of a new one. The biggest challenge is getting the driven element separated from the insulator (used a hammer), and getting the reflector and boom pieces apart.
Then I washed everything and started reinforcing per the W6QHS article recommendations. Having the extra element pieces was very helpful.
40-2CD parts staging after cleanup
August 13, 2022
Finally got all the bits and pieces together to make a complete 40-2CD with heavy-duty reinforcement. Assembled everything at the 5-foot level on the tower.
40-2CD #2 ready to go
Grabbed the AA-54 to check the SWR and was happy to see it look very similar to how the first antenna did when it was at the same mounting height.
SWR curve for the antenna at 5′
August 14, 2022
Mark KA1YQC and John KF1KI arrived on a beautiful Sunday morning to help with the antenna raising. The first order of business was to remove the 4-ele 10 that had been installed at the 70′ level. After several evenings of studying plots using the HFTA Software that comes with the ARRL Antenna Book, I realized that the 40 needed to be at that height. The two 10-meter beams were better off lower on the tower.
You hate to go backwards on a project, but it seemed easier to take this antenna down rather than try to work around it.
Removing the 4-el 10m (KA1YQC photo)
The next step was to raise the side mount that would hold the lower 40.
Rohn side mount ready to go up
Then it was time to raise the 40-2CD. We thought about using a tram, but it seemed like it might be more trouble to set up than it would save in time. Decided to corkscrew the antenna through the two sets of guys. This was complicated a bit by a close tree that snagged the elements a few times.
K5ZD twisting the 40-2CD around the guy wires and trees (KA1YQC photo)
John and Mark did a great job of lifting and lowering as needed. And watching for times when the antenna would snag something behind my back.
Happiness is finally getting the antenna onto the side mount. The reflector was clear of guy wires and trees, but the driven element was much closer to the guy wires than I had expected. The use of Phillystran for the guys will prevent any performance issues, but we don’t want the antenna rubbing the guy wires in the wind or under snow load. Might have to raise the antenna couple of feet to get more clearance. Something to keep an eye on.
K5ZD attaches the beam to the side mount (KA1YQC photo)
I was anxious to check the SWR now that the antenna was in position. It dipped exactly where I had hoped!
40-2CD SWR curve with the antenna in final position
Nothing like coming down the tower and being able to take that first look back up to see the results.
First look up at the new 40m beam
It was only noon so we moved on to raising the two 4-element 10m beams into position. This was a piece of cake compared to the 40!
K5ZD moves the first 10m beam into position (KA1YQC photo)K5ZD bolts on the lower 10m beam (KA1YQC photo)
With all the antennas installed, we called it a day. I came back out to the tower later that evening to see a beautiful sunset that really highlighted the full antenna compliment.
Almost done. 2/2 on 40 @109’/69′, and 6/4/4 on 10m @100’/59’/29′
August 21-30
Worked on making the phasing lines for the 40m stack. Will write a separate blog post on that topic.
The stacking switching is fairly simple and uses just coax phasing lines.
Switching uses an RCS-8V 5-position remote coax switch that I purchased used from W1DXH. The RCS-8V can be easily modified to have any of the switch positions be shorted or open when not selected. Will use some existing rotator cables to get the needed 6 conductors from the box back to the shack.
September 2
Mark KA1YQC came over to help me get the cables and relay box installed for the 40m stack. Not a hard job, but nice to have someone on the ground to send the cables up as needed.
Replaced the temporary coax from the top 40 with a piece to get to the switch box.
Installed the switch box.
K5ZD installing switching and phasing lines (KA1YQC photo)
Installed the phasing lines. For now, they are just coiled up and tied off. Wanted to make sure things were working before tying things off.
I wanted to have equal lengths of feedline for each antenna. And for those lengths to be a multiple of a 1/4-wave. That means the low antenna has about 50′ of extra coax, but it worked out great for getting down from the top antenna.
Temporary mounting of the 40m stack switch and phasing lines
We wired the control line back to the shack and were prepared to see success. The top position worked. The lower position worked. But not both. Argh. Checked the control voltages and they were correct going up the tower.
Climbed the tower to inspect things. Discovered the t-connector had failed. Argh. It is the one that has 3 female UHF connectors that ties the 3 phasing lines together. A new t-connector is now on order. (I should have known better than to use a cheap one I found in my junk box.)
The good news is that listening to Europeans in the early evening shows the low 40m being the best antenna at times. Will be interesting to see if/how this changes as we get into the contest season and operate the whole opening from our sunset to European sunrise.
Checked the SWR on the two lower 10m beams. The middle one looks ok. The bottom one is resonant way below the band. Could be interaction with the metal guy wires that are within inches of the elements. Will do more work with HFTA to see if that antenna can be moved up or down the tower.
September 4, 2022
While waiting for Amazon to deliver, I went up the tower and refactored all the coaxes around the 40m switch box. With a few days of rain in the forecast, I wanted to get all of the connections secured.
Amazon arrived while I was on the tower, so with the sun just going over the horizon, I made one more trip up the tower to install the new t-connector.
Argh. Still a problem with the both-position on the switch. And to make things worse, the high antenna only wasn’t working either.
September 7-9, 2022
Multiple trips up the tower to try to diagnose the problem. I probably made 6-8 climbs to the 70′ level and was up there for several hours. Just couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing.
When checking the wiring, I discovered that a wire had pulled out of the splice junction at the base of the tower. That fixed the antenna 1 problem.
I got some good advice from W2SC and N2NT on things to try for the phasing lines. Eventually tracked the problem down to a missed solder connection on one of the PL-259 connectors! I usually solder the shield and then wait for the connector to cool before doing the center conductor. Somehow I missed doing this one.
Whoops. Forgot to solder the center pin!
When you test quarter wave coax lines, you look for an open on the analyzer. When I checked the cable from one end it looked fine. But, if I plugged the analyzer into the end with the missing solder, it showed there was no cable. I guess you have to test phasing lines from both ends…
Once I found and fixed that, I was happy to come down to the shack and hear all 3 positions of the stack were working. SWR was good from 7000 to 7250. All positions of the new stack are better than my original 40-2CD on another tower. (It must have a problem?) The stack position seemed to be slightly better most of the time. Spent some time on 40 SSB in the WAE contest and the stack seemed to be a winner compared to the top or bottom antenna alone. Thrilled to finally see success after all this effort.
September 10, 2022
Mark KA1YQC came over on a beautiful Saturday morning to help me work on the 10m stacking.
We moved the lower 10 from 29′ to 32′. This got it out of the guy wires and just above the first set.
K5ZD removes the 10-4CD so it can be moved above the guy point (KA1YQC photo)K5ZD bolts down the 10-4CD at 32′ just above the first set of guy wires (KA1YQC photo)
Then we installed the WX0B Stackmatch box at the 65′ level. Checked SWR on each antenna as I did so. The bottom 2 antennas are resonant below the band. Is this caused by having Rohn 45G going through the middle of the antenna? Something to investigate.
We connected the control cable and headed back to the shack to check out work. All 3 positions could hear band noise. We listened to PT5J work Europeans in WAE. May need to investigate the wiring or the box as it didn’t seem like the right antenna was being selected as I switched through all the options. But, SWR was good across the band on all 3.
The last task was to raise and reattach the 160m shunt feed. This took no time and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the antenna was resonant around 1800 Khz. I had been afraid that adding 10′ to the tower and the second 40 would change the electrical height of the system. Will wait for dark to see if the antenna works.
Really enjoying having Mark’s help to take advantage of the fantastic early Fall weather to get things done before it gets rainy, cold, and windy in October.
September 21, 2022
On what is sure to be the last perfect day of the summer, Mark KA1YQC came over to help debug the 10m stack. We quickly determined there was a broken wire somewhere in the 250′ of cable between the shack and the base of the tower. It was the line that switched the toroid in the Stackmatch out when feeding a single antenna. No wonder the SWR and antenna selection was so weird. We grabbed a spare wire from the control cable to the 40m switching and things started working better.
The SWR on the low antennas was below 28.o Mhz. They resonated higher when tested at the 6′ level, but the extra height, guy wires, or Rohn 45 going through the middle was having an impact. We shortened the driven element on both antennas so they were resonant around 28.2, which kept the SWR relatively low from CW through 28.5 Mhz. Luckily this just meant rotating the driven element so both ends of the element could be reached from the tower.
K5ZD spinning the 10m driven element to adjust the length (KA1YQC photo)
Testing from the shack indicated there was something wrong with the low antenna. It sounded quiet and the SWR was height. We know the SWR was good using the antenna analyzer at the feed point, so it has to be in the coax or the Stackmatch. No amount of wiggling or unscrewing seemed to make any difference. So more diagnostic work needs to be done.
We also tried to find the tap point for the 160 shunt feed. We thought we had it, and then realized we did not have a solid connection from the feed point shield to the tower. When we added that, the R value was around 18 ohms. The tap point needs to be raised, but with sunset approaching, we decided to save this for another day.
October 12, 2022
One more very nice weather day. Mark KA1YQC came over and we attacked the 160m shunt feed. After some experimenting, we determined the shunt wire could not go through the 40. We attached it just below the 40 and were able to get it about 5′ out from the tower to get to 42 ohms. SWR is < 2:1 from 1800 to 1880 with a perfect dip at 1830.
K5ZD attaching the shunt feed (KA1YQC photo)
The First 160m QSO with the shunt-fed tower was with TO2DL in Guadeloupe (FG). At least now I know it can be heard.
Project Complete!
The project is officially done. All new antennas have been installed and the others restored to their previous configuration.
View of the finished antenna system.
Early results show the 40m stack is much better than my previous 40-2CD on the other tower. The 10m stack also seems to be working well. Finding the broken wire may have been all it needed.
Now the fun part – to get on the air and see how it all plays in the contests.
Thank you all for following the journey to this point. It has been a lot of work, but the kind that I really enjoy. Nothing has more hope than a new antenna system!
A very entertaining contest. Summer conditions always offer a few surprises and this contest had lots of them.
My summer project was to replace one of my towers (see https://k5zd.com/tower-replacement-project/). Things are not completely rebuilt, but I had antennas for all 6 bands. This contest was to be a test of the new 40 and 10m beams. Happy to report they appear to be worth the effort.
The contest started well with 10 and 15m open. It got slow in the mid-day and then just kept getting better as Europe turned its attention to the West.
Our town had its 4th of July fireworks show Saturday evening. I took a break to walk the 1.8 miles to the show and back. Was a perfect evening outside and the walk cleared out the contest fatigue. Lost just over 2 hours of prime low band mult hunting.
15m produced some deep Asians late in the evening and 20m was great all night.
Then 15m really opened the last 2 hours of the contest with the band open deep into UA/UA9!
Just for fun. No antennas were available for 160 or 80m. Just a low tribander for 10m.
Thought we were going to get t-storms on Sat afternoon, but they stopped just before they got to us.
Conditions were mixed. Missed the activity and multipliers from Ukraine and Russia. Worked 2 EW stations, 5 UA, and 1 UA9. The score includes those QSOs and mults.
This will not be a golden log. Lots of serial numbers I am not sure about.
I want to put up another 40m beam. Not comfortable doing it on the Rohn 25G tower that I have.
Tower 2, September 2018
September 2021
I had the opportunity to obtain 100′ of Rohn 45G from John K1AE. He lives about an hour from me. Making multiple trips and with a lot of help from YCCC club members, I was able to get the tower down over a 4-week span. I also purchased a Cushcraft 40-2CD that he had on the ground. I rented a U-Haul van to transport everything (tower, guy wires, beam) home.
New tower and accessories
October 2021
Took advantage of some nice Fall weather to touch up some rubbed and rusted spots on the tower so it was ready to go.
December 2021
A tree falls over and lands on one end of the stack of 40-2CD aluminum. Argh. The only “safe” place for antennas is in the air!
April 15, 2022
With the 3-day Easter holiday, I solicited help on the YCCC email list. Received a lot of generous responses and offers to help.
Martin AA1ON, Mark KA1YQC, and John NN1SS came down and we got started. We made much more progress than I expected – removing all antennas and getting down to the 60’ level.
In order, we removed:
80m dipole (freeing it up from the tree that had captured the feedline)
80m 4-square that was hanging from ropes strung out from the tower
40m sloper
160m shunt feed
Two 4-ele Cushcraft 10m beams that were side-mounted
30m dipole
6-ele 10m beam
Rotator
We corkscrewed the beams down the tower. 10 meter beams are so easy to manipulate…
Weather was sunny and nice, except for the occasional gusts over 25mph. Nothing like being 80’ up with the top set of guys removed and the wind deciding to blow harder.
One lesson learned. When a tower is a bit floppy, it is hard to get the sections to wiggle apart. NN1SS brought a Tower Jack and that saved the day. Sections that were more stable close to a guy wire wiggled right apart.
After everyone left, I took advantage of the nice weather to prepare the guys at 60′ for removal and installed the temporary guys at the 10′ level.
Stopping point
April 16, 2022
When I installed this tower in 1994 I had purchased a 1/4″ wall 12′ steel mast. Weighs just over 100 pounds. Never used it. Has been imprisoned in the tower ever since. I was a bit worried if the two of us would be able to handle it.
Martin arrived about 9am, and we had the last 60’ down in about 2 hours. We pulled the mast out of the tower when we got to the 20′ level. I won’t say it was easy, but the two of us managed it without incident.
Tower is down
We were so far ahead of schedule that we had just finished when Ken WO1N arrived. I feel bad for letting him make the drive down.
I am now without antennas for 80, 30, and 10 meters. The crazy things we do to be just a little bit louder. 🙂
April 19, 2022
Made a run to visit Dave K1ZZ and pick up a 40-2CD antenna that he had been storing for Mark K1RO. “Storing” for the past 25 years! The antenna was in great shape and, after some hardware replacement, will soon be at the top of the new tower.
April 21, 2022
My friend Ron brought over his chainsaw and we took on the job of removing trees that had been growing into the guy wires. Always afraid of cutting down trees near a tower, so wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to clear things out a bit. Was perfect weather for getting the job done.
Ron cutting down one of the trees
These were big trees. Glad to get them down before the leaves came out.
April 23. 2022
Another great day to get some work done.
The original tower base was big enough to support Rohn 45, but I wanted to make the base a bit bigger to provide more support. Let me just say it is a long carry to get concrete from the driveway near the house to the tower base. A 350′ carry that is uphill all the way.
Mission accomplished.
Enhanced tower base
May 3, 2022
Spent some time taking the 40-2CD from K1RO apart and cleaning it up.
40-2CD cleaned up and ready for assembly
May 17, 2022
After two weekends lost due to some international business travel, it was time to get back to work. Started making up the Phillystran portions of the guy wires. Hard to believe DX Engineering gets 270′ of Phillystran on that small spool!
Phillystran and accessories
Will use Phillystran on the top two sets of guys. 60′ for the top set and 30′ for the middle set. Will go with steel wire broken up every 28′ for the bottom set. Why 28′? Because that is the length the guy wires from K1AE were already made.
May 20, 2022
Mark KA1YQC came over and we hauled a few Rohn 45G sections up to the tower location. Then we put up the first section of the tower and installed the temporary guy wires at the 10′ level. Made everything tight and straight.
First section with temporary guys
Spent the rest of the evening wrangling guy wires. Added the steel portion to the Phillystran. Replaced a few pieces of guy wire that showed signs of age.
Guy wire prep
Ready to start stacking tower for real tomorrow.
May 21, 2022
Joe KM1P, John KF1KI, and Spence AB1HO arrived to a cloudy and cool morning around 10 am. We quickly got 4 sections stacked up and the first set of guys attached by a little after noon. The clouds cleared and it became noticeably hotter. We finished tightening the first set of guys and removed the temporaries. By 1:30 it was hot and we had enough.
Up to the first guy wire attachment
One thing that slowed us down was guy wire lengths. The steel guys were broken up every 28 feet. When we pulled them out to the North and Southwest guy points, the insulator landed right at the turnbuckle. We had to undo the guy grip and change the length of the final segment from 28 to 22 feet. I probably should have done more math and anticipated this issue in advance…
May 22, 2022
It was a sunny warm day when Martin AA1ON, Mark KA1YQC, and Lars KE1J arrived around 9 am. The forecast was for temperatures into the 90s. I was a bit surprised everyone showed up!
Tower view of the ground crew
Each new section was the same dance. Set up gin pole. Ground crew cleans out tower legs and puts in White Lithium grease. Pull up section. Get the sections to mate. Put in the small bolt for each leg (Rohn 45G has a large bolt and a small one for each leg). Then put in the large bolt for each. A drift pin is an essential tool for getting the holes to align. And a hammer to help the bolts power through the holes. Then tighten the bolts for each leg. Reposition the gin pole and repeat.
Drift pin for aligning tower bolt holes
We added 3 more sections, reaching the 70′ level. The second guy bracket was at 65′. The second set of guys had 30′ of Phillystran and then steel broken up with insulators down to the anchor. There were two guy wires where an insulator happened to be in the wrong place and required modification. We methodically made our way around the 3 guy points tightening turnbuckles while confirming the tower was still straight. The Loos tension gauge confirmed the guys were at the proper tension.
We took a short break as it was starting to get very warm.
Mark KA1YQC, Martin AA1ON, and Lars KE1J (l-r)
Back up the tower to do the next 3 sections. We had decided to put the rotator plate and the guy bracket on the top section so I wouldn’t have to assemble them on the tower. Great idea, but the extra weight, and the 90′ pull, almost put the ground crew into the red zone. Of course, when the section got up there, it didn’t want to mate to the previous section. This required another heave to pull it off so I could spin it and try again. Oh, did I mention the wind came up while this happening?! I tried not to notice the subtle rocking that was taking place without the top set of guys in place yet… Nothing better than to get the legs aligned and then hear that satisfying thump when the section drops down to its proper place.
K5ZD digging through the tool bag looking for bolts (KA1YQC photo)
The ground crew did a great job. The breeze I was feeling on top of the tower was not so much down at ground level. The guys were pretty spent when we decided to stop.
Stopping point for the day. 100 feet
An empty tower is like a blank canvas. Ready for something great to be created. It was a very good day of progress. Tower only needs to have the top plate installed to be complete.
Looking up the tower
June 1, 2022
Finally back to working on the 40-2CD. The main work was to replace the aluminum truss Cushcraft provides with some stainless steel cable and hardware.
Assembly zone
June 6, 2022
Guy wire day. Focused on keeping the tower straight while also getting each guy wire to the proper tension as measured with the Loos Tension Gauge. Had one guy wire that needed to be adjusted as the turnbuckle had run out of room.
June 7-9, 2022
Rebuilding the 40-2CD. Carefully measured out each piece. Added reinforcement tubing inside the elements as possible. A dab of SS Jet 30 at each joint for long term connectivity. Also a stainless steel sheet metal screw to keep the pieces from coming undone.
I could not get the driven element pieces off of the center insulator. The only way to get the reinforcement piece in was to measure, mark it, then drive the piece of aluminum down the inside of each element. Had to be careful not to push it in too far as there was not going to be a way to get it back out. Added additional reinforcement to the first few element joints. The element is much less floppy than before the modification. It’s not the full W6QHS treatment, but hopefully, it helps with long-term survivability.
Two elements ready to go
June 10, 2022
Hauled the boom and elements up to the tower. Assembled everything to make sure I had not missed anything. The 40 is ready.
40-2CD assembled
Jun 11, 2022
I was up early making final preparations for the 40m beam. Got the choke installed and enough feedline to get just above the top plate. I have learned the hard way not to end up with a coax joint in the middle of the rotator loop!
Trying something different with the choke. K3LR has reported some improvement in the choking impedance if the choke is separated from the boom. I put the choke inside PVC and used some rubber spacers to get it about an inch away. Maybe not quite enough separation, but good mechanically.
Choke mounting and feed point
SWR looks good, but hard to know with the antenna so close to the ground.
SWR with antenna at 5′
Martin AA1ON, Mark KA1YQC, and John KF1KI arrived around 10am. A bit of a delay as I made multiple trips back to the house for forgotten tools or parts. Started climbing around 10:40am.
First order of business was to install the top plate.
Tower is topped out
I had not fully accounted for the size of the rotator when I selected the original location of the rotator shelf. Took a few minutes to move it down one rung.
Then it was time for the mast. The ground crew hauled it up the tower without incident. They said it was much easier than the top section with guy bracket was! It was then that I discovered another engineering error on my part… the clamp holding the rope onto the mast hit the gin pole pulley with another 4″ of needed height still to go. Arrrggh! Luckily it was just close enough that I could lift the mast onto the top plate. After several tries and some colorful language, I was able to lever the mast up to the thrust bearing, then the bolt, then to the rotary part, and finally, with one huge grunt, lifted it over the edge and into the hole. Mission accomplished! I was determined not to make the guys have to lower the mast and lift it again. But, it was probably not the smartest approach. Next time, measure first!
Next up was to raise the 40-2CD. There is a pine tree that reaches in just enough that I wasn’t sure I would be able to easily corkscrew the antenna up the tower. Those capacitance hat rods on each element seem to always find any obstruction. I made the decision to assemble the beam on the tower. We pulled the driven element up first, then attached it to the tower with a strap and carabiner. Then repeated for the boom and reflector. I then attached the elements to each end of the boom.
K5ZD attaching the reflector element to the boom (KA1YQC photo)
Once the elements were attached, it was simply a matter of rotating the antenna to horizontal and dropping it onto the mast. The team on the ground was very impressed with the maneuver and how well it worked out.
K5ZD attaches the completed antenna to the mast (KA1YQC photo)
With the antenna secure, a call went out for the antenna analyzer to be sent up to see some early results. The SWR was very good, with the resonant frequency about 20 Khz lower than expected. Is it worth trying to adjust the driven element length?
SWR curve of the antenna at 100′
Of course, once we think everything is done and are ready to declare success, I noticed a small problem with the way I assembled the driven element. It is shifted about 1/2″ to one side, making the feed point attachment uncomfortably close to the u-bolt. Maybe not a big problem, but the u-bolt was a bit crooked. This will get fixed during a future session when we are ready to raise up the 10-meter Yagi.
June 15, 2022
I was joined by Mark KA1YQC to make the trip up to K1AE to pick up some 7/8″ hardline and the remaining pieces of another 40-2CD. We were met there by John NN1SS who helped load things into the U-Haul.
This is some serious hardline. I just hope there is enough to get a single piece that goes from the shack to the 10m beams that will be on the new tower (250+ feet). And that I can find some connectors!
Hardline and 40-2CD parts
June 18, 2022
I was joined today by Martin AA1ON, John NN1SS, Mark KA1YQC, and Spence AB1HO. It was a very cool day for mid June with a high temperature expected only in the mid-’60s. We had a stiff breeze from the NW once I cleared the top of the trees.
The first job was to fix the 40m driven element mounting. Popped the 40 off the top of the mast and was easily able to get to the feed point and slide it over about half an inch. Then popped it back on.
We brought up the Yaesu G-2800 rotator so I wouldn’t have to untie the rope until it was installed. We then raised the mast. This went very well, except for the few times I made the ground crew back up a bit because I didn’t tie the rope in the right place or forgot to tape the coax as the 40-2CD went up. Once the mast cleared the rotator plate, I was able to insert the rotator easily into the tower. I had a bit of an incident while putting the bolts in. I had left them in the plastic bag as they came from Yaesu. At one point I turned my hand so the plastic back dumped a few bits. They fluttered to the ground and left me one bolt short of having all I needed. Argh!
The DX Engineering thrust bearing to hold the mast at the top of the tower is a thing of beauty. But, the opening is slightly bigger than my 2″ steel mast. This put all of the weight on the 3 stainless steel bolts. Since the mast is so heavy, I didn’t want to take any chance it would slip. I added a safety u-bolt around the mast.
Safety u-bolt to help secure the mast at the thrust bearing
With the rotator secure, I climbed down for a break and to prep the 10m beam to go up. It was mostly ready, but I wanted to check the SWR before we got too far. Pulled the antenna up to about 20′ and the SWR minimum was way below the band. Not sure how that happened since the antenna was unchanged from how it came down 8 weeks earlier. We lowered the beam and started messing with the gamma match at the feed point. In the end, I think we shortened the driven element by 2″ or so on each side and moved the gamma shorting rod about a half inch. Looks much better on the AA-54, but not sure what we may have done to the performance…
The antenna easily corkscrewed up the tower and was bolted to the mast.
K5ZD finalizes installation of the 6-el 10m.The 10m beam is installed and ready for action.
Up came the antenna analyzer and it was great to see both antennas had the expected SWR.
SWR of 40-2CD at 109′SWR of 10m beam at 100′
It’s always nice to come off the tower and get to take that first look up to see the result.
Another milestone achieved!
The heavy work was done so we headed off to the local hamburger place to celebrate.
June 24, 2022
Dragged the rotator cable up the tower and connected the rotator. One continuous 350-foot piece of control cable to reach the shack. Was a bit disappointed to find the rotator would not turn. I had tested the full length of cable before I put it up, but maybe the wiring inside the connector at the rotator lost a wire… disappointed.
June 25, 2022
Field Day weekend. Perfect time to make progress on antennas. I spent some time trying to diagnose the rotator problem. Finally tracked it down to a connection at my cable panel where everything comes into the house. Argh. Very happy to see beams turning!
Ready to run some cables up the tower
Inspired, I climbed the tower to run coax cables for the 10m and 40m beams down to ground level. These connected up to the existing cables back to the shack. Field Day offered the perfect test for the new antennas. 40m worked great. Unfortunately, 10m was stone cold dead. Not even an FT8 signal! On Sunday the band was open and the 10m was confirmed to be working.
July 1, 2022
Mark KA1YQC came over to help get the 80m dipole reinstalled. This dipole goes between the two towers and required a bit of rope work to get the antenna tuned to the correct frequency and then worked around the trees. Nice to see a flat dipole at the 90′ level. This gets me back on all bands.
80m dipole going between the towers
Mark also brought over a Cushcraft A3WS that he doesn’t need. This is a 12/17 meter duobander. I have never had antennas for those bands so excited to get it in the air and chase some new DXCC band credits.
July 4, 2022
Built the A3WS and made some QSOs on it at the 5′ level to confirm it was ready for action.
Cushcraft A3WS awaiting final installation
July 16, 2022
Mark KA1YQC came over today. The first task was to install the A3WS at the 30′ level on Tower 3. Decided not to put it at the top of this tower due to 1) concern about its wind survivability, and 2) don’t want to risk any interaction with the 10 and the 40.
A3WS fixed NE at 30′
That decision freed us up to install the 80m 4 square rigging. This consists of running a rope out from the top of the tower in 4 directions and then using that to hold the top of the verticals. Can’t quite get enough height to make them vertical, but enough so they work.
80m vertical hanging from a catenary line
We had just enough energy to confirm the tuning on a Cushcraft 4-element 10-meter beam and raise it to the 70′ level.
K5ZD attaching the 4-ele 10m to the tower (KA1YQC photo)
K5ZD (op. K5ZD) in the Single Operator Unlimited (Assisted) Category, High Power. Read the post-contest writeup.
This was an SO2R operation. The audio is the same as heard by the operator. When headphones are ‘split’, the left channel is from the left side radio and the right channel is from the right side radio. The sidetone audio is very low so you may not always be able to hear what is being sent.
K5ZD (op. K5ZD) in the Single Operator Category, High Power. Read the post-contest writeup.
This was an SO2R operation. The audio is the same as heard by the operator. When headphones are ‘split’, the left channel is from the left side radio and the right channel is from the right side radio. The sidetone audio is very low so you may not always be able to hear what is being sent.
