On 25 Jul 2003 03:43:07 GMT, ospam (Larry Roll K3LT)
wrote:

In article , Radio Amateur KC2HMZ
writes:

Oh, you mean like "disconnecting" antenna rotor control boxes with a
pair of dikes? Yes, indeed.

Is that how you highly technical CW ops handle it? Wow, I'll have to
suggest that to our ops next year...NOT!

John:

Actually, it's not as bad an idea as it sounds. We do it that way because
we leave the color-coded wire ends on the control box terminals, making
it easy to duplicate the setup the next time. Wiring charts tend to get
lost. Now, if only I could figure out a way to make my technically-
inclined fellow hams stop putting 3-element HF Yagi antennas together
with the director and reflector elements reversed! And don't suggest
that I number the elements and boom 1,2,3…that doesn't seem to cut
any ice with them!

Given any thought to color-coding? :-)

Amazing what you can do when gravity is working in your favor rather
than against you, isn't it? That wire that took six shots with a
slingshot to get over just the right tree branch comes down on the
*first* try when you cut the rope, almost as if by magic!

Yup, it sure does! And some idiot usually manages to get whacked by
the balun when it does -- which is why we pass out the hard hats!

This reminded me of the year the guy with the bow and arrow had to
leave for work before they got the wire antenna for the phone station
up. The antenna was eventually raised by tying the rope around a
hammer and throwing the hammer up over the desired tree limbs. On not
one but two occasions the hammer ended up in the Erie Canal
(fortunately with the rope still attached, which you can rest assured
greatly facilitated recovery of the hammer).

On the first such attempt the SPLASH! produced by the hammer as it
entered the water attracted the attention of some people standing on
the deck of the boat that happened to be passing by at the time. They
fixed us with an icy glare, apparently wondering of we had thrown
something at them or their boat, but after watching us for awhile they
were able to figure out what we were doing.

At that point they continued their journey downstream, and after a few
seconds their boat came around past the row of trees so we were able
to see what it said on the side of the hull in big red letters:

SHERIFF

None of us was surprised when our volunteer hammer thrower seemed to
wait longer than necessary before commencing his next toss. Once the
sheriff's patrol boat was out of range, sight, and earshot, he fired
again and nailed the desired branch perfectly. Great...one tree down,
one more to go. We walked down there, and his first shot produces
another SPLASH! Luckily, no boats in range this time (one bystander
remarked it would probably have been the State Police this time).
After another few tries he scored another bullseye and we hauled our
wire antenna (160 feet, fed with ladder line) into the air, tied
everything off very securely, and shut the gate on the chain-link
fence that runs the entire length of the park right below where that
antenna gets hung every year (makes a great counterpoise).

Every year since then, we've used one of those slingshots with a
fishing reel mounted on it. No more hammers - we don't want to spend
our food budget for the entire FD to bail one of our station captains
out of the county lockup!

73 DE John, KC2HMZ