Museum Ships Weekend 2025

[alfsauve]

Haven’t done anything to the antennas, but I’ve set a goal to get the reconfiguration done by 6/6

[Rastus]

I am going to focus on antenna building as well.  All I have up now is a 6 meter dipole and it's sick in need of a good cleaning.  My 265 ft of wire vertical loop was pulled down by a FedEx truck (another reason to hate on FedEx).  After I finish up with gardening, repairing or replacing two washing machines and taking care of a little over an acre of sunflowers and corn then I work on antennas.

I have a 5 element ready-to-go Bobtail curtain for 20 meters that I've had for years and have not put up.  It's very directional and I hope to set it up to catch some of those European ships this time.  The good thing about the Bobtail is that it doesn't need to be more than a few feet above the ground so if I set it up where I can pivot it on one end then I can cover from Spain to Russia. 

Beyond that the 4BTV is calling my name along with a 75' vertical loop to work 20 meters.

[MikeBjerum]

After a couple of experiences we had with FedEx trucks, did you have any luck with their insurance covering the damage?

[Rastus]

No.  My cameras were not pointed that way to record the deed.

[Rastus]

Haven’t done anything to the antennas, but I’ve set a goal to get the reconfiguration done by 6/6

I hope your reconfiguration is going better than my implementation.

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

My middle son is a licensed roof inspector and he's coming over next week.  Miss Kitty won't let me work on the big ladder or on roofs without a safety spotter.
It's going to be quick.  All the cross arms, the 6m vertical, the 10m dipole and the weather station come down.  An 18" 2m mobile vertical on a bracket will be mounted to the tower below the HF vertical.  A short 18" cross arm will be used to hold the security lights.  Shouldn't take long.   

[Rastus]

As of 26-May there were 101 ships participating.

[MikeBjerum]

My middle son is a licensed roof inspector and he's coming over next week.  Miss Kitty won't let me work on the big ladder or on roofs without a safety spotter.
It's going to be quick.  All the cross arms, the 6m vertical, the 10m dipole and the weather station come down.  An 18" 2m mobile vertical on a bracket will be mounted to the tower below the HF vertical.  A short 18" cross arm will be used to hold the security lights.  Shouldn't take long.

My life changed, for the worse, four years ago. Our s-i-l was in a golf cart accident. They live in a gated community in FL, and on the way from the clubhouse home he missed a turn, rolled the cart, and was flown to a trauma center. Three months later a friend of theirs was working on a light in the entry of their home and fell off the ladder. He was flown to the same trauma center. This prompted a very stern phone call from daughter that I am forbidden to drive golf carts for non-golf activities or climb ladders. Golf carts are only an issue when we visit them. I am allowed to drive but is always comes with a lecture. But the ladder thing. I still use ladders but being obedient I do not get my feet more than three feet off the ground.

[Big Frank]

I only have a 6' step ladder, and you're not supposed to stand on the top 2 steps of a ladder, so I rarely get more than 4' off the ground. I can touch all my ceilings anyway, because none are over 8' high, and lots of times I change light bulbs standing flat on the floor. I have an old chair without a back on it in my kitchen to use as a stool. It's pushed up against the cupboard right in front of the light fixture. I stand on that to change the kitchen lights, since it's there. But the rest of the house, I'm usually standing on the floor to change light bulbs. I sometimes take the backless chair outside to work on stuff, but I think I'm done with that. Maybe I'll post what I made.

[alfsauve]

Got the clutter off the tower.  No great change in coverage pattern noticed yet.

MSW was a bust for me.  Only spent about 2 hours at my desk over the weekend.  Busy rescuing stranded motorist and shooting in Steel Challenge competition.

I only saw one MWS station on FT8 - 20m.  Unfortunately no response from my call.  Did look at DXSummit but  everything was SSB or CW.  Maybe next year