K7BRE

Mary and I have both been licensed ham operators since the '80's when we used 2-meter radios (before cell phones) to keep in touch and (pre-Internet) to keep in contact with BBS's via packet radio. On one occasion, we also provided an emergency communications link from our motorhome (using a Yeasu FT-209 HT and a 50 Watt linear amp) and, today, we are still active in emergency communications here in Jefferson County, Washington.

The equipment, however, has changed a bit. My newest base station is a Yeasu FT-7800 dual-band radio operating through a J-pole dual-band antenna along with an Icom IC-W32A dual-band handheld for mobile operations.

Together with Bill Whitney (WO7O), we have a 440-repeater setup at the fire station (just down the road from me) which provides a wide-area link to relay emergency communications for southern Jefferson County. With my own rig at an altitude of 450 feet (and sea level within a mile in three directions), I have excellent communications with a wide variety of 2-meter and 70-centimeter repeaters and, through relays, can reach as far south as Oregon, north into British Columbia and east into Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

With the upcoming addition of a new, telescoping antenna mast, I should have the antenna above 480 feet (the highest point on the peninsula is just over 500 feet) and improve my links across the area.

Before putting up a mast, it helps to begin with a hole for the base. And, since this is not going to be a small installation (or a small mast), I figured that I'd better do it right the first time. We're on a glacial moraine here -- a ridge between two fiords -- and a lot of the euphemistically titled "soil" consists of what are locally known as Coyle potatoes (i.e., rounded rocks of various sizes, mostly large).

Using a posthole digger and a breaker bar (the latter was essential) I was able to excavate a reasonably deep cavity before reaching a very solid strata. Lacking explosives or power equipment to excavate deeper, I took several pieces of rebar, bent into crossed loops and wired together in a triangular tower form, to provide reinforcement once the concrete is poured.

The mast itself (at right) is actually a telescoping 20-meter antenna. (Twenty meters refers to the frequency -- wave length -- not the size of the antenna.) For my purposes, however, I'm going to use it strictly as a mast with a rotor and TV antenna (no cable here) at the top of this mast and my dual-band antenna (J-pole antenna, shown above) mounted roughly a meter above the TV antenna.

The base section of the antenna/mast is ~4 feet with each section telescoping to ~3.5 feet for a total height around 25 feet, placing the dual-band antenna roughly 28 feet above ground level for an altitude just under 480 feet.

Roughly midway on the base section, anchor points are provided for stabilizing cables. Even the strongest base and mount still have their limitations and using four cables running to outlying anchors will greatly stabilize the mast and antennas. If this were being used as a 20-meter antenna, of course, these cables would also need to be insulated but, for my purposes, the mast will be grounded both here and at the base using the conduit attachment points.

As shown in the image below, the base of the mast is separated by a heavy ceramic section with antenna feed (attachment) points immediately above the ceramic insulator.

We've got the hole, the rebar and the mounting plate and everything's ready ... so it's time for the real work. That's as in "digging the hole was easy ... filling it with cement is a whole 'nother story".

Wealth, however, comes in many forms and, while I don't have much money, I do have friends and one of these -- Harvey Caldwell -- insisted on being here to tote and mix because, in his words, "I can't afford to lose a friend." Well, true, physical limitations would have made it take longer working by myself but that's not the main reason I appreciated the support.

So, after the cement has time to cure -- for a couple of days at least -- then we'll be ready to mount the mast, add anchors and guy wires ... and, not least, mount the antenna.

Going Up ... Finally ...

Well, you can see it at right ... if you look carefully because it was really difficult to get a shot where you could make out anything except the trees (which we have in abundance). Here the mast is extended to twenty-five feet with the J-pole antenna at the top, reaching close to thirty feet.

I'll add the TV antenna later (somewhere around twenty feet) but the important thing was to get this antenna up and functioning ... and to be sure that it was functioning.

I had a large coil of RG-6 coax (75 ohm), originally used for a TV satellite dish with a data transmitter (two-way connection for internet, etc.) RG-6, however, is not the usual coax for a ham transmitter and we were a bit curious to see if it would function well or if there would be problems.

And, in addition to getting the antenna mounted (and before raising it) I had to cut off the old TV connectors and replace them with PL-259 connections, get the cable run (about a hundred feet) and then connect everything ... and finally raise the mast.

The results? (Fingers crossed as I key the mike ...)

Fantastic! No problems at all, great connections, great signal. K7BRE is on the air big time!

* * *

Oh, at the bottom of the image, you can see the wire ropes running from the top of the base section to four anchors about ten feet away -- just a little extra precaution for stability even though we are very sheltered by the trees and really don't have a wind problem. (This is also a really poor place for a windmill generator system ... unless we could put up a tower at least 150 feet.)


And, with four hundred pounds of cement, this is stage 1.	Later, another eighty pounds brings us to stage 2.