Copasetic Flow

This is the three element Yagi I'll be trying out in this week! The guy wires are suspended from trees at each corner. The first set of 'elevation pulleys' allows the ends of the parasitic elements to be raised and lowered independently so that they can be leveled. The second set of 'tension' pulleys allow the parasitic elements to be removed altogether by lowering them to the ground so that various metrics of the antenna, (gain, impedance, etc...), can be measured with and without them. Each pulley set is suspended from the guy wires in such a manner that the element can be slid along the guy wire to adjust element spacing. Plastic and glass string levels are attached to each of the elements and on the cross element level string. The levels are used to make adjustments to ensure that all the elements of the antenna lie in the same plane. The levels are read with a pair of binoculars.

I was back up on Sourdough Trail with the Rockmite 20 on Wednesday. The weather was gorgeous and as long as the sun was out it was warm enough to shed a few layers. I ran into a few dove as I hiked up out to the end of the ridge, but the resident moose must have been hiding out. I hung the dipole between two trees at the point of a ridge line that points off to the East at an altitude of 10,200 feet. The antenna was oriented just a little bit to the northeast due to the positioning and availability of suitable trees for antenna supports. View Larger Map KD0FNR station location and antenna orientation Antenna support After CQing for awhile, I was rewarded with a callback from KB8AP in Central Point, OR who provided me with an RST report of 439 while I could read him at 239, RST reports being rather subjective things with the Rockmite since it has no S meter. After we chatted for a bit, I CQ'ed again and immediately heard back from KC8ITC in the opposite direction, Saline, Michig...