Digging holes in the ground – DX Engineering 80m vertical install

By | | Amateur Radio
Comments Off on Digging holes in the ground – DX Engineering 80m vertical install

Digging a hole for the first DX Engineering 80 meter 1/4 wave vertical. Hopefully this will be the first dig out of 4 for a 80 meter 4-square phased vertical array. Each antenna requires a huge radial field, as seen from the short cut circle around the dig. 60 radials, each 65 feet long, for a total of 3840 feet of radial wire.

The vertical is currently on backorder, so I’ll have time to dig the 300+ feet trench back to the shack. We’ll use “Betsy” to make the trench. 1 1/2 inch pvc will house the LMR-400 coax line, to keep it from the critters. More to come.

]

A piece of art. DX Engineering radial ground plate. First class parts, and first class service. Great company. Waiting for the concrete to cure, and continue to get some 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe in the ground to pull the LMR-400 Coax through. Then the real fun starts. Stretching out radials. A lot of them.

Betsy doing the trench work for 1 1/2 pipe out to the antenna site

Pipe done, and LMR-400 pulled through about 270 feet of pipe. Installed the radial plate and feed line pigtail. Ready to lay down radials.

Cranking the generator up to solder the PL-259 on the coax.

Testing coax length and connection. Next: Mow the grass all the way to the ground, then lay radials.

60 radials, each 65 feet long, installed. A lot of work.

No the wait for the arrival of the antenna begins.

Done…

untitled-.jpg

Beautiful,,,

Picking Amateur Radio back up

By | | Amateur Radio
Comments Off on Picking Amateur Radio back up

Used to have all kinds of Ham radio equipment,  transceivers, antennas and all kinds of other equipment to talk on the air with other hams in far away lands.

Well, I am in the process of re-acquiring some radio equipment so I can start this awesome hobby back up. Have had an Extra class license for years. Just need the equipment. Stay tuned. More to come.

Microphone test with GoPro Hero 6

By | | Motorcycles, Photography
Comments Off on Microphone test with GoPro Hero 6

Trying out a new mike for a GoPro Hero 6 (I know, I need a Hero 9). Have tried a few different mikes, and all of them distort (clips) the input into the camera at higher speeds. This mike will probably be a keeper (Giant Squid lapel mike). Sounds pretty good, even at higher speeds, without any cracking or distortion. It’s a keeper.

2021 OH-Stoc – Shawnee State Park, OH

By | | Adventures and Travels, Motorcycles
Comments Off on 2021 OH-Stoc – Shawnee State Park, OH

Left the house in SC at 6am. Interstate all the way for 460 miles. Raining off an on. Arrived around 2PM, and set up camp at Shawnee State Park campground.

Shawnee State Park, OH

Went for a group ride Friday. Very nice roads in Southern OH. The rain just would not quit.

Group Ride again Saturday. Nice weather. Shot some video with my GoPro Hero 6. We had around 15 riders in the group, using the “drop and sweep” system, which works very good.

 

Great weekend.Met a lot of old friends, along with a few new ones as well.

Returned home Sunday 6/13. 

New shoes on the GSA

By | | Adventures and Travels, Motorcycles
Comments Off on New shoes on the GSA

Mounted the second set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail II on the R1200 GSA. Great touring tire. Had a plug in the old rear, and was also starting to wear down quite a bit.

Pirelli took it a step further with the II designation, redesigning the tires to better suit road-focused adventure touring bikes. As a touring / sport-touring tire, the Trail II offers ample confidence-inspiring grip and predictability. This is not surprising since the Trail IIs are derived from the Angel GT. Compared to the old Scorpion Trail the new tire features a rounder profile that creates a contact patch 6 percent shorter and 10 percent wider. The new tread pattern does away with the intersecting grooves and the big block tread pattern of the old Trails in favor of a more street-bred, continuous block pattern that delivers improved lateral stability with less road noise and vibration. Pirelli claims the new profile and tread reduces heat and increases longevity by 50 percent without the need for a harder compound.

Deep, steeply angled grooves promise to discharge water more effectively, and new compounds will improve both wet and dry weather performance. The front tire has a single, 100 percent silica compound while the dual-compound rear tire features a 100 percent silica shoulder and 70 percent silica center that balances corner grip with longevity. Pirelli’s super-secret compound cocktail is concocted using a unique process of continuously mixing polymers and resins with silica that chemically bonds to carbon black for more consistent wear and performance