I got a picture sent to me from SM2ODB of when we used to be @SM2HWG many years ago, I think this was 2001 or 2002 during the IARU contest were we worked as SK9HQ. SM2ODB worked with SM2DMU on 10m SSB at DMUs QTH with his big 36el array and we did 20 and 15m CW from SM2HWG.
SM2WMV and SM2LIY standing up with SM3JLA sitting down at the radio
I am spending the week at SJ2W building antennas and also trying to learn the NXP CORTEX M3 platform for work, however it’s been mainly antennas being built. I have made some progress but it takes time. I am almost done with the top 20m yagi and the 40m elements are also done. I need to get some 76mm clamps that I’ve ordered before I can continue with the 40m beams. Tomorrow I will build the 3el for 30m which will be antenna #3 to go up. Maybe I’ll climb up with the tram wire and rope as well in the tower if I get some babysitting.
This weekend I had plans to do a lot of antenna work, but I didn’t get as much as I had intended done. We needed to get some dirt to fill holes in the yard (after digging cables etc) so we borrowed the wheel loader from GTL and since my neighbour needed help removing some big rocks that his tractor could not handle, we helped him as well. I have felt he has been helping us far more than we have been helping him, so it’s been good to pay some favours back. GTL are as usual extremely helpful and borrowing equipment does not seem to be a problem as long as SM2XJP is the driver.
However, I did get bolts into the booms so they are ready now. I build the element plates for the 30m yagi, I built a boom strut for the 30m yagi so now all parts that will go to get galvanized are finished. Peter will take them into Skellefteå on Monday and we will get them back on Friday, so I will have them before the weekend which is great.
Hopefully this week I will get some plastic line to be used for the boom support (6mm solid plastic wire) and we can start to assemble the antennas in the weekend. However still lots of work to be done before we are ready for the contest season.
SA0AZT also sent up a package with HI-Z 4-SQ type of RX array that he gave us, and we will put out in a field as a complement to the beverages. Hopefully the HI-Z array is more reliable and might be possible to use inband as well, we will see! This project is however not a high priority but I hope to have it up before CQWW SSB! Thank you very much Mattias!
Today I didn’t have that much to do at work so I did sneak into the workshop and did some work there. I’ve spent most of the time in the lathe and gotten most of the stuff done for the yagis that I can do up here. Left to do is the center parts for the 40m elements, all the plates to attach the yagis to the tower and also the element/boom plates for the 30m yagi plus a boom strut. I need to get this done quickly so I can get it all galvanized so I can have it assembled in a few weeks. Goal is to have it all operating before CQWW SSB which I believe should not be a problem *knock on wood*.
