In looking for another option apart from falling off the top of the car I have found a secondhand Racal pneumatic mast .

It needs a bit of a clean up and one of the seals seems a bit dodgy but for way aI paid for it that is not an issue.



It is 2.6m closed



and I have yet to put up all the sections together. There are another 2 to go in this photo



12m total.

Now to design a roof mount system for it

Dave would be around of me getting in to a bit of electrickery.

I have changed plans a bit and need to up the input power into the Gemini 2 amp. It was set up for the KX3 but that isn’t working so well basically because of the compromises in the transverter.

So I got in touch with Roger at the DX Shop and he sent me the attenuator required to up the input to 25w.



open the top and unsolder the screen can





thats the chap - out of focus



undo the hex head and solder the replacement in



and then replace the can with the two blobs of solder



All done and it works. Will be much better the I get a decent transverter though

At the weekend we spoke on the net about ongoing interference
I was getting this on 18 and 21Mhz

I have some video files but these don't seem to upload to the website

Don't give up hope of those old QSL's turning up on LOTW.

I just checked in today and saw one from February 2015 on my old call sign appear……Brilliant as it was another DXC that I had not accounted for from Mauritius.

I must remember to send off all the cards I have for checking as well.

I had the HyEndfed wire left over from past installations and now Martin finished using it I thought I would string it up as a fall back if the beam can’t be up.


So using my patented pole and lead weight method I got the feeder end up one tree and then using the fishing rod and lead weight method cast the other end over another tree, When it is up it is invisible so there was no point in trying to photograph it. It us at around 12m AGL.

It is resonant on 10, 15, 20 & 4o plus a bit on 80. At a push.

It is a bit noisier than the beam but not a bad performer.

Here is the StepIr, Up



and here is the end fed.



The antenna CCTV got a makeover again with a replacement dome camera - which I guarantee will start misting up soon. Anyway the picture is great to start with. If it mists up we might need to put a heater in to it.

Here's a funny story…..

So I set out all excited for the 2m UKAC with the new 13ele (unlucky for some) LFA thinking it is going to do the business. It's a bit windy but not too bad.

Now the mast that I have is the SP7DEX one that has aluminium sections and these are marked with the limits showing you where to stop on each one. Normally I can raise 2 sections to start with so the place where you clamp it and see the marks is at eye level but with monster beam and the top wires it has to be lower so little me can clip the top wires on.

So I get the beam together. all 8 metres of it and get in on the mast. Tentatively raise the sections as the wind wants to blow it round and its so long it pokes into the road and would annoy a lorry driver a bit. So It's up to the last section and ….oh …whats that as i can't see the marks I realise that I am holding the end of an 6m pole with an 8m yagi op top of it. In a wind on top of the Disco. Great…

Now I have spent some time making the beam and the contest was about to start so wasn't going to just drop it. I tried to lower it on one end and it's fair to say that it worked. Sort of. As far as the aerial was concerned, at least. It had a reasonably easy landing in the hedge. Me on the other hand was catapulted off the roof and when I had finished falling off was suspended by my right arm from the other 4m of mast that were still attached to the car. Head torch in the puddle and no help in sight.

Anyway Martin's SAS training kicked in and I got myself off of the mast. Jacket was a write off as were some muscle bits that seem to hold your arm on. I have no idea how I cut my lip or sprained my wrist.

Anyway time was marching in so I had to take it all apart, bend the broken bits back as straight as they would go and start all over again.

How did it perform…I hear you chuckle. Well as Carl said it probably is too pointy for contesting or at least with my experience. There is a different approach needed to using a beam like this and I will have to take advice from the more experienced. I am still fed up with being blotted out by other stations and getting pushed off the frequency. So I am in my bruised state I am having second thoughts about continuing to run 2M. I love 6 and 70cms but it is too much of a bun fight in 91 on 2m for me. We shall see. Perhaps I just crawled out of bed on the wrong site this morning.

Ow…