Slim Pickins' Journal

[Slim Pickins]

Just picked op my new amp from the Post Office. Barring any unforseen circumstances I will be installing it this weekend.

Here's a pic of the amp
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I can't wait till I get everything hooked up.

73s
Paul

[yMidnite]

Mine looks just like that. Hope to have mine hooked up this weekend too. Working on a custom pedistal mount for the radio and amp.

[Slim Pickins]

Mine looks just like that. Hope to have mine hooked up this weekend too. Working on a custom pedistal mount for the radio and amp.

I read your other post about being pre-jumpered. So is mine. Almost like they want you to use them on 11m

[Slim Pickins]

Got up this morning and couldn't wait to get to work and finish my install.

Here is the mount with the amp installed on the bench
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I used stainless steel screws drilled through the bottom of the amp and the mounting plate with nuts on the back side
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Here it is all installed and back in the truck with everything hooked up
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I didn't check the power output of the amp yet but I turned down the radio to 2w DK swinging to 7.5w and 15w on ssb. Everything seems to work really well, although I did have to back down the D104 a notch on am due to feedback. After that everything was good on all power levels according to my radio check who is one of the local regulars.
I am very happy with how this turned out.

73s and thanks for looking
Paul

[yMidnite]

Very nice install. Can't wait to finish mine.

[Slim Pickins]

Very nice install. Can't wait to finish mine.

Thanks, like I say I am very happy with it. Be sure to post pics when you get yours done. Would like to see that custom pedestal mount.

[yMidnite]

Very nice install. Can't wait to finish mine.

Thanks, like I say I am very happy with it. Be sure to post pics when you get yours done. Would like to see that custom pedestal mount.

I will post pictures when I am done. Hopefully it turns out "right".

[weedge]

Hey Paul

That install looks great. Factory could'nt have done better. I'll be listening for 9672 when the skips rolling.

Weedge

[Slim Pickins]

I puy the meters on the setup this afternoon and at full power on the amp I am showing 175 on am with the truck running and 150 with the truck off. SSB I am seeing 300 with the truck running about 225 with it off. SWR hardly changes at all with the amp on or off and stays around 1.1 across the band.

Hey Paul

That install looks great. Factory could'nt have done better. I'll be listening for 9672 when the skips rolling.

Weedge

Keep listening. hopefully you will hear me now.

73s
Paul

[Slim Pickins]

Took my antenna down last week because we were expecting hurricane Earl to hit us. I decided to make the mast a tilt up job to make things easier in the future. I will post construction notes when complete for anyone interested. It will be a trial and error affair so it may take some time.

Paul

[armrdsaint]

Great set up and install slim !! My trucks got the metal liner type inside so I didn't use the saw blade style---Excellent job on Yours ! I need to kill some noise on mine so I'm gonna try You wire twist theory and see what happens. Thanks for sharing Your work I learned a lot !!!
AUDIOSSS from Nebraska

[Slim Pickins]

Thanks for looking and thanks for the compliments. The twisted wire idea is actually in the Ford owner's manual with regards to installing a cb/ham radio. I honestly can't tell you whether or not it works since I haven't ever tried this radio and antenna without it.

Paul

[armrdsaint]

I'm willen to try anything to drop the noise level in my old rusty GMC. [Please login or register to view this link] so I appreciate the info--Hope to maybe hear You after I get the shack rollen slim. Have a great day and catch You later---Wavin a hand from Nebraska-AUDIOSSSS

[Slim Pickins]

If anyone is wondering how to destroy a 30 year old aluminum groundplane antenna I have your answer. Long story short, drop it while lowering a tilt-up mast.

73s
Paul

[626]

hey Slim...

Just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your chronicle. keep up the good work.

[Slim Pickins]

Thanks Gunny, I actually enjoy writing in this thread. I will continue when I have more to write. Now that my base antenna is pretty much a goner I am thinking about getting a tower and a beam and doing a "proper" base antenna system. I think I may have found a 40' free standing tower locally for a good price so that may be my starting point. Next I gotta figure out what to put up there for an antenna.

73s
Paul

[626]

40 foot is awesome. it will get you a full wave-length off of the ground. There are better beams for the money but, its tough to beat a maco 3 or 5 element

[Slim Pickins]

I looked at the Maco 3,4 and 5 element beams but I am thinking I want to get a dual polarity unit instead. I was thinking pretty hard on a Maco Shooting Star, not sure if I can run the mast right through this and put an omni above it without affecting th Shooting Star too much. No big deal if I can't really, the few locals near me are all pretty close and I am sure I could get them off the side of the beam. Most of the local guys are all in the same general direction from me anyway so it probably wouldn't be a big deal if I had to try to pick a line through the middle of them.

73s
Paul

[drdx]

Woo hoo, beam time, sounds like fun. But.....you won't be able to put an omni above a beam with vertial polarity without it making your vertical somewhat directional. You can do the vertical over a flat beam and be fine, the beam will act like a ground plane, but over a vertical beam it changes its behavior (the vertical's). You'd have to put your vertical on a different structer some distance away. If you can reach your locals fine on a vertical 40 feet up, do that, save your cash for a rotator and big beam and you'll love shooting skip that much more. Who knows, maybe you'll start a horizontal beam wave of popularity among the locals.

-drdx

[Slim Pickins]

All the locals I usually talk to are within about 8-10 miles of me and with the exception of one guy they are all in the same general direction. The one guy in the opposite direction from me is only about a mile away and half of that is water. With my old groundplane at 32' I was hammering these guys but the next group of guys somewhat close to me are just on the edge of my range. All these guys are running vertical omni antennas. Some use a little power, some don't. The reason I was kinda thinking on the dual polarity beam was so I could get a little better coverage than with the omni then be able to switch to horizontal for skip. The other option is to add a little more mast and put a flat beam with an omni at about 50'. Maybe the extra height will give me a little more range on the omni for local stuff, and like you suggest the difference in cost would allow for a larger flat beam. Decisions, decisions.

73s
Paul

[drdx]

Hey, the guys at the edge of your range, are they all in one direction? For them, if you have the room, you could put up a simple fixed wire beam aimed in their direction that you could switch to for talking to them. This is all leading to something you may want to consider: a remote coax switch. Ameritron makes them, as does a few other companies. It will save you on coax and pay for itself if you end up with 2 or more antennas. You can then run 4 or more antennas on one piece of nice low loss coax. If skip is fun for you it sure is fun running a 4 or more element beam. I ran a 4 element at 40 feet for a few years and a 100w on sideband would get you just about anywhere you could hear. A kw on that 4 element and you're a real player on am in skipland. The only possible negative to a vertical beam as far as local stuff is when you're constantly moving it around, and that depends on what direction most folks are located.

-drdx

[626]

One more thing.

Many people forget that vertical is not just for local talking. Often you can take better advantage of skip if you select your polarization. As far as your plan of getting a beam with vertical and horizontal element, It sounds great. I wouldnt worry about the locals. If you are local talking, then just use your radio barefoot or with just a driver.

As far a an omni, you can put that somewhere else and just use it for receive. When you hear CALI comin into your receive, then you know which way to turn your beam. Omnis are ideal to use for ears.

IMO a beam flatside and omni on top would be the best. Remember there is no antenna ideal for EVERY situation.

[Slim Pickins]

Ok, I went today and picked up the tower. It is a 40' freestanding unit with a 22"base. Here are a few pics.

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The top section already has the rotor plate installed a short distance down from the top so now I need to get a mast and thrust bearing as well as the rotor. Once I figure out what I am going to use for an antenna I can make those choices and start working on that. There are a few small spots of surface rust so I will clean those up and paint them before I assemble everything.

73s
Paul

[drdx]

That looks good, and the rotor shelf is a bonus. I don't know if they still sell them, but believe it or not Yaesu used to have a really good thrust bearing that wasn't all that expensive. Start hunting for a rotor. Since you're kinda out there you may get lucky and find something in the air or put a local want ad out there and someone may have one left over from the long distance tv antenna days. Try to get a ham 3 or larger if you can but there are several out there that would work. If you get a monster rotor and the antenna is a light one you could get by without the bearing but I'd do it right, and just start it out right. For other antenna ideas, check out slopers. The ARRL antenna book used to have great plans for a directional sloper array with no moving parts that you just switched for direction. It would be a great fit for you if you didn't want to go all big up top, but I'd scout out a monster flat beam, 7 elements or something huge and be done with it. Then, just loaf your gear as the antenna does all of the work.

-drdx

[Slim Pickins]

Yeah, I was just looking at those Yaesu thrust bearings online earlier today. You are right about the price, they are $45 for the 2" and $65 for the 2 1/2". I think I will get one and put it in just to be on the safe side. I was also looking at the Yaesu rotors.