It looks like we will have very varying weather this weekend, so I might spend time indoors trying to get the 4th operating position up and running. It will be using SM2LIYs IC-7400 and will also be used as one of two remote operated radios which I might also try to configure and test a bit. Another job might be to finish up the isolated room me and SM2XJP built out in the barn. I need to add boards to the inside walls and get some lighting up in the roof, because now its pretty dark in there. Also there is the RDA contest which me and SM2LIY might do some semi-serious M/S in.
If weather does co-operate I’ve done some new isolators and center bar for the 10m driven element on the beam that will be placed at around 45m height. When I had finished this work I by accident found the ones I did before which I thought I lost somewhere at SJ2W. But they were hidden under a bag in my office, how typical. Why didn’t I find them 1 hour earlier? I will need to add some 3/8″ superflex cable (donated by SG3P) and make a RF-choke out of this and also pull up the 45m piece of 1/2″ coax up the tower (donated by SM0W). There is also work to be done on the 40m yagi, such as mount the boom strut, the element-boom plates and add the elements and guy them. This beam just uses 50mm tubing on the center elements so that is why I add element guys. On the 2el ones I build later which will be SJ2W mechanical design I plan to use 60mm tubing in the center instead which should not need any guy support.
SM2LIY will also show up, so he will help me with getting branches etc away from the WARC-tower site and maybe next weekend I can try to get the excavator to dig the holes so we can pour the concrete.
We’ve also gotten a house cat @SJ2W. Me and SM2LIY noticed a cat hanging around about 1.5 month ago and she was very cuddly and lately I’ve seen her a lot. So one day when my girlfriend was walking out to the barn she stopped and said “Micke, there are two cats!”. And then I went to check and she had a kitten which is I would guess around 6 weeks old. They are currently living in my barn and after about two days of trying, the kitten finally had enough courage to approach me so I could touch him. Now I need to check that they are OK and put a neck-less with a note on the mother. So if she belongs to somebody I hope they will give me a call so I can explain it all. But if this does not happen me and my girlfriend has decided to take care of them.
The SJ2W kitten
Every contest station should have a RATE-cat! I’ve got two 😛