This weekend we managed to get the 4-SQ up. Here is a picture which shows it. Left to do is to add a lot of radials and also in the future take down the first vertical we put up to shorten it one meter.
Picture of the array during the sunset just after it was put up.
More pictures to come…
Sunset at SJ2W, picture taken by SM3JLA
This weekend a lot of work was done. SM2LIY got a ride from SM2HWG and arrived on Friday afternoon. SM2WMV showed up a couple of hours later and at 23:00 SM2LIY got the idea of burning the piles of branches that were still left and blocking the 80M 4-SQ ground. So we went out and at 02:00 we were finished, all the piles were gone. SM2WMV did also put some cables up to get electricity behind the fake wall.
On Saturday SM2WMV took out the chainsaw and cut down some 15+ trees that were within the range of the radials of the 4-SQ. There are still about 6 trees to be cut down before we are ready to put all four verticals up.
We also got a visit from SE2T who helped with digging down the cable for the 80M 4-SQ and also helped sorting out the parafil guy wires for the verticals. SM2WMV assembled the first vertical so it got ready for the hoist party while SM2LIY was out burning some other piles of branches he found. I think Per likes fire, or he’s just very cold from the northern autumn winds. On Saturday we also got a visit from SM2XJP who helped us to take down two amps into the basement were we have the amplifier room. The 300kg+ pieces of amplifiers were brought down without any injuries except maybe a few broken backs.
The weather was fine during the weekend except on Sunday. It was too windy to cut down trees so we spent the day putting up the first vertical for 80M. By this time (On Saturday evening even) SM3JLA had arrived to help us out and also SM2NOG. We needed one test run before we got the hoist party completed and we got the vertical up without anything breaking. However it’s a bit low in frequency but when adding the three other verticals it should raise in frequency a bit.
On Sunday evening we drilled holes in the floor to get 3-phase down to the basement to the amplifier room and also the RG-213 feeders + PTT signals and pretty late in the evening we got to try the 80M vertical with the amplifier and worked HS0ZEE. We felt that the propagations weren’t really good and when we went out we could se visible aurora so we don’t really know yet how well the vertical works.
On Monday SM2WMV, SM3JLA and SM2LIY were still at the QTH and the station owner himself spent most of the morning cutting down trees while SM3JLA and SM2LIY were sorting out the last parafil guys for the remaining three verticals which will hopefully be hoisted at the next work party!
Here are the pictures:
SM2WMV paiting guy wire points while talking to SM3JLA in the phone
SM2WMV putting up some cables for the roof light
Hammarlack is the shit
Guy wire points painted
Food is needed when working hard
SM2LIY and SM2YIZ
The dog house which now has got a nice sign attached to it, made by SM2WMV
SM2LIY really laughed hard when he got to see the sign
A hole to take cables down to the basement. I will make a aluminium panel to make the hole a bit nicer.
The 80M vertical ready to be put up
Pelle burning branches
SM2NOG preparing the hoisting
The bottom of the vertical is held by this bracket. The white plastic pieces are isolators made out of teflon.
Bottom piece with a copper ring which we attach the radials too.
The method we used to errect the vertical. It worked great on the second try.
SM3JLA
SM2NOG drilling holes for the base of the 160M vertical
Drilling the holes at place of the brackets to make sure they are properly aligned.
The vertical is up
SM2LIY putting out radials under the vertical
The middle post of the 4-SQ which will hold all the mid guy points of the 4-SQ
Looking up the vertical from the bottom
A lot of trees were cut down to make a clear surrounding around the 4-SQ
More trees, this will keep the house warm and cosy
SM3JLA looking happy to work radio again
The Granger amplifier
More pictures will probably be posted in a while…
Here are some more videos that I have uploaded to youtube.
Overview of the kitchen and some other stuff
Outside work, the cables running between the house and barn where the switching will be located.
The sound of 160M at the QTH. However this is recieved with a folded dipole for 80,40,20,10M so it does not resonate properly on 160M but seem to recieve fairly well anyway.
The sound of 80M at the station.
The sound of 40M at the station.