Tower Construction Safety Techniques
(Plus some "Show 'N Tell" bonus photos at the page bottom!)

Mt. Lemmon, Arizona

Our January 12, 2008 meeting consisted of a fantastic tower construction and safety presentation by Mike Higgins (K6AER) and Jay Schwisow (KT5E). Mike and Jay demonstrated the proper use of climbing harnesses, helmets and other safety equipment in addition to a thorough explanation of tower basics as they relate to overall installation, digging holes and pouring concrete, antenna wind load, guy wires, and a whole host of other related topics - the gang was mesmerized! This meeting, like many before, took place in space that was provided by Milestone Technologies - Thank You Marshall!

Mike and Jay prepare lecture	Every Ham's dream!	Tower Basics	Mike Higgins (K6AER)	Industrial Carabiners
WNØP and a Big-Grip Dead-End	Installing a Big-Grip Dead-End	Jacob (KCØWTR) and Jay (KT5E)	Mike and the Big-Grip Dead-End	Pork Chop Grips
Old lineman's harness	Dangers of lineman's harness	Proper Harness	Proper Harness	Proper Harness
Proper Harness	Proper Harness	Mike and Jay	Attentive audience!	President Inskeep

At every meeting we pass around a sign-in sheet and usually get about 80% of us to remember to sign-in! For historical purposes you can click on this sheet to see who was there - or at least most of who was there! (Email addresses have been removed to protect the innocent)

Show 'N Tell Bonus Photos!

Dick and his K2...

Dick's paper backup!

There's always room for a bit of "Show 'N Tell" at each CQC meeting and this one was no different! Dick Scneider, ABØCD, explained that he's put almost a decade into building, tweaking, and fine-tuning his K2. All to no avail as the rig still doesn't work! So, off it goes to the factory with a paper back-up that'll have to satisfy him until the rig's return!

Dicks's CQC-L posting two days later:

1a. K2 #70

Posted by: "RICHARD SCHNEIDER"
Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:03 am (PST)

Well I finally got to operate my Beta K2 - serial #70 - coming up on its first decade of existence. This is the world's longest K2 build. I got about halfway through the build when I bought the K2 back in the last century - 1998 - and then put it on the shelf for a variety of family-business and school reasons. All of a sudden a lot of years flew by. When I pulled it off the shelf, in the 21st Century, graduate school was still taking most of my mental energy so I brought the radio master, Al Dawkins, K0FRP, into the project to bring this K2 construction excursion to an end. Of course, I picked up a few mods for Al to install as well. While building and troubleshooting, emails have been flying between Al and Elecraft, which has been very helpful in completing this build.

Al has run the rig from his QTH a number of times in the CQC- sponsored foxhunts. The build is now narrowed down to three vexing issues - intermittent problems with the main tuning dial and sidetone and the radio just doesn't want to see the ATU. Other than that it works like a champ.

So now K2 #70 is headed off to Elecraft service this week to see if they can lay hands on it and resolve the remaining issues. But before I packed it up, I spent a few hours on the air Saturday in the NA QSO/ CW Party (yes, I got the main tuning dial working for that!) and worked stations coast to coast and from BC to PR. The receive on the K2 - as all K2 owners have known since the 20th Century - is superb -- even better than my Omni VI/Option 3. The K2 is very easy on the ears, and explains why the rig works so well for field day. CQC's top competitive Field Day team has used a pair of K2s for the past several years. I'm looking forward to firing up K2 #70 at this year's CQC Aloha Field Day site.

Check out the club's web pages (http://www.coloradoqrpclub.org/gallery/meet0108/index.htm) to see pictures of K2 #70 and the CQC Cardboard K2 that serves as a placeholder in my shack.

72 Dick AB0CD..

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