TOWER RAISING PHOTOS - APRIL 9, 2016
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The Kansas State University Amateur Radio Club has been in continuous operation since 1927 in Manhattan, Kansas. We operate a station on the 4th floor of Seaton Hall, the architecture building in the middle of campus, and have a good-sized antenna farm on the roof. We are active on HF, as well as on our own VHF and UHF repeaters. The club consists of students from different majors, who meet regularly to get on the air and work on new projects. QSL cards are available and appreciated.
Our antenna tower had been horizontal since March 22, 2012. Our Hy-Gain TH6DXX HF tri-band beam was mounted temporarily at roof level, and the dual-band repeater antenna was attached to a safety rail. Chris Casey and Vern Wirka, WØVMP, former KSUARC station manager and current adviser, did extensive work to restore the TH6DXX for replacement on the tower, which we shortened from 50 to 40 feet. Current station manager Earl Watkins II, KEØASI, was a dynamo with tools, climbing and winch duty on Tower Day. The first contact after project completion was with a station in Brazil. SWR readings for the beam look good.
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The club mascots, Quack, Quack and Quack, enjoyed watching the work. WØQuackQuackQuack
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Club Activities Manager Max Nager, W2MAX, measures the tower to calculate guy wire lengths. The tower of Anderson Hall can be seen in the background.
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Mounting the beam to the tower is not customarily done for recreation.
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Here's the tower, shortly after being bolted into place. Adviser Vern Wirka, WØVMP, holds a guy wire. It was quite a windy day!
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It's the turnbuckle and anchor for one of the three guy wires. We had to replace sections of this tower in the early 1980s. There was an 80 MPH wind from the north, and the ends of each guy wire had only one clamp. The tower was bent over the station, and a mangled TH6DXX was found hanging over the back parking lot. The tower and beam were unharmed by the F4 tornado that passed across the street on June 11, 2008.
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Here's our antenna farm and 40-foot tower, featuring a Hy-Gain TH6DXX beam and repeater antenna. Closer to the ground are our Cushcraft vertical and 40/80 meter dipole, as well as a 6-meter vertical. In the distant background, you can see the twin towers of KSAC, the university's official radio station, which went on the air in 1924. (The station is no longer in operation.) The KSAC antenna was a wire that ran between the two towers, which remain as a historic site next to Calvin Hall. (link)
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Here's a close-up of the TH6DXX beam and vertical repeater antenna for 2 meters and 70 cm. The contraption seen on the left is a crane behind Seaton Hall, in use for a major expansion project.
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Adviser Vern Wirka, member Reid Sayler, KEØEIE, and station manager Earl Watkins II, KEØASI, on tower day.
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President James Copeland, KDØICP, Reid Sayler and station manager Earl Watkins II are all smiles after completion. (The sun is out. They're not overly concerned about a lightning strike.) The aluminum extension ladder is not used for radio transmissions at this time, but we do own a tuner!
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Reid Sayler tests the Rohn tower installation.
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The man in disguise is Earl Watkins II.
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