Ham Shack Update

Making progress on the ham shack. Taking my time. Doing it right.

Decided to replace the pipe I was using for a mast with real aluminum mast sections. These are from a military antenna system. Then to top it off, found some military antenna guy lines that will help tie it down. This thing is going to be around 32 to 36 feet high. Maybe even close to 40. Also found a tilt base to install. That will make it easier to take the antenna up and down for adjustments and maintenance. It was not military, but oh well. Found them all on eBay.

After doing some talking and reading, the antenna, cabling, and connectors have been my focus for now. Kind of put the office space to the side. Did have my handyman friend come by and take a look though. He measured and looked at what needed to be done to drill a space and make a pass through for cabling into the basement office. He'll get back to me with a quote. That can wait. Getting the antenna up is priority.

Have ordered and received a few connectors. More on the way. Picked up a digital multimeter, antenna analyzer, and an SWR meter as well. Got to have the right tools to do the job right.

Next step is drop the old antenna and remove it. Then wait for the new antenna masts to arrive with the tilt base. Splice me some new cable and connectors. Run my grounds. And elevate the new antenna. One thing at a time.

Tried hitting the repeater last club check in with my Baofeng handheld and the little rubber duck antenna. Think I was just not hitting it with a clear enough signal. Making some adjustments and will try again this coming Wednesday. Will most likely try a different antenna. Bought a small external one I can hang up that provides more gain and distance. Of course it required some extra adapters to connect to the radio. Always something.

Really enjoying getting things ready. Biting at the bit to get this stuff up and running. Just want to do it right. No more redneck engineering. Proper mast. Proper connectors. Proper grounding. The whole deal.

I'll post more pictures when I have something worth showing.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

_{Notes:
-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
-Photos edited using Linux photo editor and drawing and/or iPhone SE.
-Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.}