ARRL 222 MHz and Up Distance Contest
Call: L2DRH
Operator(s): L2DRH
Station: L2DRH
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: EN41 IL
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
222: 25
432: 23
903: 8
1.2: 14
2.3: 3
3.4: 4
5.7:
10G:
24G:
------------
Total: 77 Total Score = 35,339
Club: Society of Midwest Contesters
Team: Going the Distance
Comments:
My main VHF/UHF/SHF tower tower stopped turning 45 minutes into the 222 and up
contest. Really frustrating since I had all the microwaves working well for a
change and there definitely was some enhancement in the evening and morning.
Thought it was the usual gear oil seepage from the gearbox into the motor on a
hot day, so climbed and fixed that by spraying the motor rotor with solvent
though the brush holes. Stopped again so climbed again and noticed that the guy
ring was squealing in spots and that the motor stopped when it hit those spots.
Sprayed the CAM followers in the rotating guy ring with WD40 but that didn't
help, kept binding so I suspected the cam followers were frozen or distorted and
had to be replaced (this rotating guy ring is 18 years old).
Since this requires detaching the guys and lifting up the top ring portion with
the cam followers I coaxed it into a safe heading for prevailing Thunderstorm
tracks (some were predicted) at 110 degrees and climbed down defeated since
there was no way I could get this fixed without help. I know conditions were
good since I was still able to work some stations significantly off the heading
I was stuck at even up to 3 Gig.
Got some cam followers (they have to be modified) and had a tower crew set up
for Monday Aug 13. I hire out the really heavy tower work these days since my
upper body strength isn't what it once was. Found out the cam followers were
just fine but all the years of turning so often lining up VHF and microwave long
boom antennas during contests and even in high winds had not only worn a deep
groove in the bearing race, it even distorted the bottom half of the guy ring.
I'm actually amazed it still turns at all! I just plain wore it out.
Needless to say it needs to be replaced. There is a split guy ring design for
those that don't want to take down and restack an existing tower so I have to
get the split bottom half. Then we have to cut the old one off the tower but at
least I don't have to take all the antennas off and unstack the tower. Gonna
take 2 weeks to get the part made and then we have to install it, hopefully
before the Sept contest!
Only reporting a score because I was part of a team.
73 de Bob K2DRH
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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