Cobweb Ham Radio Posting

 Starting the balun box

 Box drilled & 2BA bolts fitted

 Side view with SO239 socket fitted

 Balun fitted

 Box fitted to pole 

Wire up with 14.25mm car multi stranded cable

 It's up in the air at 20ft

 Close up

Rusted up Duplexer for 2m/70cms

Saturday 16th March Because this is a Ham Radio posting I should have written in the callsigns of the hams who inspired me into building the cobweb aerial.

G3TPW G3TXQ G6PJE & M0PZT just Google callsigns to see their excellent website.

Without their informative very well written with photos & where to go for parts this project would have never taken off so a big THANK YOU to those hams for sharing the knowledge in the true style of Ham Radio spirit. 

Friday 15th March For sometime I have been looking at the Cobweb aerial & due to it's size only 8ft square thought would make a good multi band aerial which covers 14.18.21.24.28 MHz have read some hams using it on 6m also read good results about it. After sourcing the details from the internet a ordered was placed with Aerial Parts Colchester http://aerial-parts.co.uk/ brilliant company & very helpful purchased all the aluminium parts for £35 delivered to the door. I did go with one design using plastic conduit but looking at it now it was a mistake should have gone with my gut instinct & purchased fibre glass hollow poles off eBay I am not happy as it looks like the eagle has landed lol. Before I erected the aerial I took down the 2m/70cms beams & Diamond 2000 vertical which covers 2m/70cm & 6m I was not happy with signal reports on 2m/70cms beams found out that the Duplexer had rusted up inside & outside! so now going to run separate cable to the beams & closer to the house. The co-ax is £1.70 a metre so due to the co-ax being less than 8 months old I recovered it & rotator cable from the under ground pipe saving myself £100.

Thursday 14th I attached the 6ft fibre glass pole to aluminium  pole & attached the Diamond 2000 then attached the Cobweb wow it was hard work lifting all that on your own! anyway once in place got it all fixed but who forgot to put on the guy wires! thankfully I had attached the 3 hook guy wire attachment! I also ran out of time to fix & solder the co-ax plugs.

Woke today after a sleepless night worrying about the 20ft aluminium pole swaying around in the wind I decided had to do some thing. Yesterday morning after doggie walk purchased 30 metres of strong nylon cord & it is amazing what you can do with a step ladder & fishing rod by 10.15am this morning all guys were fitted so Cobweb is at 20ft & Diamond 2000 at 26ft & fully guyed. Was going to put on the co-ax plugs but it started to pour down & the junction box is in the open on side of greenhouse.

Still had not taken doggie for a walk so drove down to Watergate car park on the Tarka Trail & when I arrived sat in the car park was a very wet stray doggie thankfully he came to the car & I was able to put a lead on him 3rd dog saved in the last 2 months! 1 hour later & 2 farms visited he was re-homed so feeling pleased with myself but Beau had still not had his walk & got soaked further going on a walk. Came home had lunch & helped with the house work I do all the heavy stuff when Ros does the dusting.