Winter is coming... are your antennas ready?

WA8ZTZ

Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
1,008
Location
S.E. MI
Labor Day being an unofficial end of Summer for some means that Winter is on its way.
However, while there are still many nice days remaining before the icy blast, now is a good
time to get those antennas in shape.

At my QTH this week... inspected and made necessary repairs to all nine antennas,
as well as all coax and wall penetrations, along with associated grounding electrodes and conductors.
Replaced a broken spoke on the 5BTV vertical top hat and installed new guy ropes.

So, enjoy the remaining nice days but also use them to prepare for the WX to come.
 

CKnobb

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Jan 30, 2023
Messages
90
Location
Central NY
No, I am not ready! My hex is tilting slightly upward from the center post (thanks to last year's winter). My Carolina Windom 80 has fallen down from one side of the support. My Carolina Windom 40 is frayed in many spots. Thankfully everything still works but I need to get going on the repairs before the winter wx hits. I tend to do things at the absolute last minute or beyond :whistle:
 

mtindor

OH/WV DB Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 5, 2006
Messages
10,759
Location
Carroll Co OH / EN90LN
Labor Day being an unofficial end of Summer for some means that Winter is on its way.
However, while there are still many nice days remaining before the icy blast, now is a good
time to get those antennas in shape.

At my QTH this week... inspected and made necessary repairs to all nine antennas,
as well as all coax and wall penetrations, along with associated grounding electrodes and conductors.
Replaced a broken spoke on the 5BTV vertical top hat and installed new guy ropes.

So, enjoy the remaining nice days but also use them to prepare for the WX to come.

Since you got all yours taken are of, how about driving down to Ohio and fixing up mine!
 

Token

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
2,407
Location
Mojave Desert, California, USA
Shoot, I have not looked at the long term weather projection, but the 10 day forecast has all of those next 10 days over 100 F, and most of them over 105 F. So it is a while before the "icy blast" of winter here. Even then, icy is not really a think, but blast is, we can expect, under normal conditions, 60+ MPH winds during the winter, and 100 MPH is not unheard of.

With that in mind, over the summer maintenance has been done and most of of my antennas and towers have been readied for winter with the exception of one remaining tower. That tower does have a Yagi that has slipped a bit on the pole, and twisted maybe 15 degrees off what it was originally. With that in mind, I need to lay over that tower, check the antennas on it and re-clock that Yagi.

I am thinking 2 to 3 weeks from now, late September.

T!
 

CKnobb

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 30, 2023
Messages
90
Location
Central NY
The ghost of winters past. That TA33 was a great performer. I stare at that picture as motivation to get going on my current antenna work. I'm still at the staring point....

1725440045804.png
 
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