The photo above is of the completed mounting plate from the underside. The one below is of the top side, where the spreaders will be fitted
I now need time to add the spreaders and the antenna elements. This is likely to be some weeks, which gives me time to get the balun made!
I also now have roof bars on my car, after 'repurposing' the ones bought for Julies Ford Focus which she no longer has. One convenient aspect of this is that I can use the car as a mast base. But, before I can, I need to build a bracket that will allow me to clamp the mast to the roof bars.
As it happens, I discovered I actually have quite a few more U clamps than I realised! Two of the smaller ones will nicely clamp the bracket to the roof bar. A couple more larger ones are needed, plus some suitable box section aluminium tube, to make the bracket and mast clamp.
I also installed a 4ft ground rod underneath the 20m vertical (a.k.a Sams flagpole!), and finally got around to testing the antenna with the MFJ-259 analyser. It does seem that ive unfortunately cut it a tad short, and its resonant around 13MHz. No big problem, a couple of turns at the base for a loading coil will correct that. But, at 20m, and with just the ground rod, the VSWR is about 3.5:1, well within range of the remote auto-ATU I intended using with it!
So, what about actual radio? Well, today has been very warm, in fact too hot for me! So, in between a bit of gardening, antenna work etc, and before and after karate, ive had a potter about on air. Being the D-Day weekend and also Museums on the Air, theres plenty of special event stations about! Ive time for a few more before bed, and at last am enjoying the LED shack desk lighting I installed!
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