AS THE STATION DEVELOPS THERE WILL BE A FEW ANTENNA PROJECTS ON THE GO, THE IDEA WILL EVENTUALLY BE TO HAVE MONOBAND YAGIS ON THE 40/20/15/10m BANDS AND PHASED VERTICAL ARRAYS ON 160/80m BANDS.
 BUT IN THE TIME BEING MY IDEA IS TO GET ON THE AIR "ASAP".

 THE FIRST STAGE IS TO GET MY HOME MADE 80m VERTICAL UP AND RUNNING.

A GOOD RADIAL SYSTEM UNDERNEATH THE ANTENNA IS THE FIRST JOB.
THE RADIAL WIRE I USE COMES IN 1000-1500m DRUMS, I FIGURE 100 RADIALS AT 30m EACH LONG WILL BE A GOOD START.
THE NEXT STEP IS TO SPOOL THE WIRE OF THE DRUM IN 30m LENGTHS


SPOOLING OF THE RADIALS AND BUNCHING THEM INTO SETS OF 5 PER SOLDER TAG.


A BATCH READY TO BE SOLDERED ONTO THE TAGS.


AND THEN SPOOLED BACK ON TO AN EMPTY REEL READY TO BE SPOOLED OFF AGAIN ON LOCATION!


THE BASE PLATE READY FOR THE TAGS TO BE BOLTED ON, THE EXTRA HOLES BETWEEN THE BOLTS ARE FOR ADDING MORE RADIALS AS TIME PERMITS. YOU CAN SEE MY "FANCY" WEATHER PROOFING FOR THE FEED POINT PARACETAMOL CURES MORE THAN A HEADACHE!


THE PINS TO PIN THE RADIALS TO THE GROUND I USE MIG WELDING WIRE. THIS KEEPS THEM  IN PLACE WHILST I CUT A TRACK IN THE GROUND TO SLOT THEM IN.


THE PLATE CUT TO SLIP OVER THE INSULATOR (WHICH IS A 7" CREEL BOUY THAT THE LOCAL FISHERMEN USE TO FLOAT THE ROPES TO THERE CREELS) DUG INTO THE GROUND HALF WAY WITH A 1/4" BORED IN SO THE ALUMINIUM ANTENNA SITS SNUG ON TOP, THE WEIGHT FORCE ON THE GUY ROPES ENSURES THE ANTENNA STAYS IN PLACE.


 THE FIRST FIVE RADIALS PINNED AND READY TO BE INDIVIDUALLY BURIED UNDER GROUND ABOUT 4" DOWN SO AS TO KEEP CLEAR OF ANY WANDERING SHEEP AND COWS. 

TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE BORING TASK OF RADIAL BURYING I CAN ALSO GET STARTED ON THE FIRST TOWER, A STRUMECH P60 TILTOVER CRANKUP. THIS WILL HOUSE MY OPTIBEAM OB12-4 UNTIL I EVENTUALY GET ONE OF THE LARGER TOWERS ERECTED.


THE BASE POST READY FOR THE MAST. THE CONCRETE BASE IS 4FT X 4FT X 4FT.


EACH GUY POINT IS BURIED IN 3 FEET OF CONCRETE.


MM5DWW TILTING THE TOWER IN TO THE VERTICAL.





HERE IS A VERTICAL I MADE FOR  20 AND 17 THAT WORKS VERY WELL FOR ME, I USE "EZNEC" MODELLING, THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE GET ON THE AIR QUICK ANTENNA THAT WORKS VERY WELL ON BOTH BANDS. THE RADIALS ARE A QUARTER WAVE @ 20m, IVE JUST PINNED THEM TO THE GROUND AS THERE NOT SO LONG AND EVENTUALLY THE GRASS WILL GROW UP AROUND THEM NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN! THE DRIVEN ELEMENT IS A QUARTER WAVE ON 20m AND THE PARASETIC ELEMENT IS CUT FOR 17 AND EARTHED TO THE GROUND SYSTEM. TO INSULATE THE PARSETIC ELEMENT FROM THE DRIVEN IVE CUT UP A KITCHEN CHOPPING BOARD AND U CLAMPED IT TOGETHER.


SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE!




 ALWAYS USEFUL TO SAVE ANY OLD BROKEN ELEMENTS THIS ENTIRE ANTENNA IS MADE FROM AN OLD 10m YAGI THAT HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS! AND STILL ENOUGH LEFT OVER TO MAKE A 15/12m VERSION.

PREPARING THE OPTI-BEAM OB12-4, 8 OF THE 12 ELEMENTS COMPLETED JUST 4 TO GO!

 
MM5DWW DAVE MAKING SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE 40M DRIVEN ELEMENT.


ANTENNA COMPLETE AND READY TO BE WINCHED INTO POSITION THANKS TO MY HELPERS FROM THE LEFT GM0IFM (COLIN) MM0SJH (STEVE) AND MM5DWW (DAVE)




OPTI BEAM OB12-4 UP AND READY TO WORK SOME DX!

MORE PHOTOS WILL APPEAR AS STATION DEVELOPS