New Beam Antenna Build at N6QW ~ Part 18

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The Beam Is On The Mast!

9/24/2015 ~ The contractor will be here on 9/25 to assist with the mast raising. Received some sage advice affirming that the final raising of the mast needs multiple pairs of hands to do it properly! Stay tuned. Pete N6QW 

Yesterday and today I spent getting the beam mounted on the mast. That was a chore but it became obvious I could not raise the mast/beam combination singlehandedly. Thus I am attempting to hire  local contractor to do the final erection. I just don't feel comfortable climbing on the roof. I have used this contractor before and am just waiting for a break in his schedule.
 
In the process of manhandling the beam onto the roof I moved the reflector out of alignment (same plane as the driven element). I need to reset the reflector so it is horizontal.
 
Stay tuned ---- we are closer.
 
Pete N6QW
 
 





Comments

  2. Just don't rotate it just yet Pete! Always a good idea to have a second person when doing any antenna work anyway, as you need to look out for things tangling, getting snagged etc. You see now why I suggested that having the rotator at the bottom of the mast made more sense, than all that top weight, plus you can easily get to it and even remove it for servicing in situ. Hopefully you will be all set very soon. Fingers crossed the SWR is OK in the right parts of the band.
    73 David GM4JJJ

    ReplyDelete

  3. Hi Dave,

    Thanks for your comment and yes I will get some help scheduled for 9/25 to raise the mast. Actually I have been noodling the idea of a raising fixture much like a "gin pole" to vertically raise each section but that would have added much cost and more time. I think the Rohn Towers use such an approach. Just need to be patient and hang on for about another 24 hours and the mast will be raised. 73's Pete N6QW

    ReplyDelete
  4. Replies

    1. Hi John,

      Thanks for your comment. Having had the beam in operation now for over two weeks --it is like hear a station, call them and they come back to you. Previously (with the droopy dipole at 25 feet) you usually heard no comeback. It was a struggle to install as there was much information missing from the suppliers. But this was the third beam I have installed --so I did know the right questions to ask. A first time beam builder has a real challenge ahead of him.

      73's
      Pete N6QW

      Delete

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