Some progress

My work on the radio shack is slowly but steadily going.  Last Saturday, I was able to get the pole for the Ku-band dish set and the cable ran back to where the arrestor box will be mounted.

Now that that part is done, the next step will be getting things ready to install the HF vertical antenna.  I spotted out a couple of spots which should work decently, on the west side of the trailer so that interference is minimized.

I'll be using fiberglass tent mast sections for the support, planning on about 35-40 feet in total height.  This will take some time to scrape the money up, but once that is in place and I get power run out there, I can really get things going and start digging for the tower base.

Another summer over with

As we head into Labor Day weekend in Sin City, most are rejoicing over the fact that the 100 degree Fahrenheit plus temperatures are finally receding into the background.  However, the humidity does seem to be a bit higher this morning, as evidenced when I came home from my errands that I had to down two and a half bottles of water to re-hydrate.   Ugly, but manageable.

Tomorrow I plan on getting up at an ungodly hour to head down to the property to set the pole for the 1-meter Ku-band dish.  I was fortunate in being able to get lucky playing video poker at Green Valley Ranch this morning to come out ahead to cover groceries, and allow me to get what I needed.

This trip will allow me to set the mast as well as run the flex conduit for the coaxial cable from the dish back underground to where it will come up to the junction box for the lightning arrestors.  I also purchased about 10 feet of 6-gauge stranded THHN wire for the ground connection.  I plan for next payday to get the Cadweld kit and the ground rod, so when it comes time to get everything together, I will have most of what I needed to get the grounding done.

By the time fall rolls around, I hope to have everything set to be able to operate on HF via battery power.  I figure it will take about another year to be able to run power from the main box to the shack, or less if I can rent or borrow a backhoe to dig the trench.  Otherwise I expect plenty of exercise to try and dig a two foot trench over 100 feet long.  :-)

For those who are heading out to enjoy the traditional end of summer, please stay safe, watch your 6, and keep your powder dry.

My apologies for being remiss in my blogging

There's been a lot happening lately which has kept me from blogging. Hopefully things will be on the up and up pretty soon and things will settle down.

Roddy Piper, RIP

Just heard the news that former pro wrestler 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper has died at 61.

I had watched some of his bouts in the mid-1980's when WWE was in its glory, but the most memorable part was his role in John Carpenter's 1988 film 'They Live', a sci-fi film that takes a stab at the seemingly non-stop effects of subliminal advertising and mass consumerism.

However, two of the best scenes IMHO were these:

First, the fight scene between Piper and co-star Keith David, very hilarious!




The second one was where he goes into the bank, sees it full of aliens, and then says probably one of the best lines ever :-)



He will definitely be missed.

Vacation time

Taking a well-deserved break from work, off until the 27th.  Decided to head north to Rachel then over to Tonopah then down to Pahrump to visit friends and spend the night.  Should be home soon.

New Horizons reaches Pluto

Just the first of what could be some awesome pics coming from the New Horizons probe.

NASA press release on the event

I look forward to seeing what comes down the pipe over the next 16 months.  Might wind up seeing something spectacular similar to when Voyager found the erupting volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io.

Happy Independence Day (h/t to The Silicon Graybeard)

The Graybeard's post today is well worth reading. 

Read it through, and ponder its relevance for today's world.