Antenna hit the Dirt

I knew it would happen sooner or later.  The IMAX-2000 I use for 10 thru 20 meters was only held up by cotton rope and after 3 blazing summers, one of them finally gave way sending the antenna crashing down from a height of about 20 feet.

Fortunately, the antenna was not damaged in the fall.  That said, I have to get it back up. 

In thevideo of the DX contacts I made (2 blog  posts down) I was using that antenna.

In a video I made showing my station setup, I show what I used for a mast, and how it was held up.

I used the doubled-up steel floor joists that came with the garden shed, and when the guy line broke, it folded over like cardboard.

Here's the video:




I figured one day it would fall, and last Saturday was that day.

I've got some new er mast poles to use, I just need a way to secure it to the side of the ham shack.

My Bike Run to the Ouachita River - November 17, 2011

I was bicycle mobile with my ht and Larson antenna.  I actually took some video while talking on the radio,  but  my camera started malfunctioning. I lost quite a few clips because of this.


Enjoy the video:

Me Working DX ***VIDEO***

This little video is of me, ke5utn, working DX.  It is amazing what a barefoot rig can do on 10 and 12 meters during an active solar cycle.  In this video I'm working 10. If you haven't tried it yet, you should.  It is much fun.

ke5utn Trying Out SSTV - Video

I'm very new at using this mode.  Later on this day, I learned alot about the DM780 automatically putting  'their callsign' on the top of the picture, and mine in the bottom part of the picture.


This makes it easier than I initially thought it would be and made it faster for me to respond to stations.


Here's the video:

Where I'm amiss in this Hobby

Every ham that’s been a ham for any amount of time knows there are many aspects of this hobby to choose from.


A few examples of the choices hams can choose from are working (building) with electronic components and experimenting with antennas to operating as an ARES/Skywarn station or getting involved in traffic nets.


These choices and others give us hams an opportunity to exceed our current personal knowledge, learning new things, keeping life interesting.


For me, I find I am never satisfied with the knowledge I possess.


I’ve pretty well mastered calling nets, and I can copy and send traffic with the best of them. I can’t however fix my broken desk microphone because I do not have the knowledge base to do so. Additionally, I don’t want to always have to call someone else when I need to fix something.


I suppose one of the reasons I haven’t begun to learn electronics is because I feel like I need to have conditions met prior to getting started.


I need a soldering gun, I need the tools, I’m legally blind so I need a way to see what I’m working on, and on and on….


I think maybe this is a mistake, but learning would be more fun if I were ’working’ on something rather than reading a book.


So, although there are many aspects of this hobby I have taken part in, I am not yet satisfied.


How about you?