VHF Tower and Beams
Updated
03-Jan-2025 14:10
[back to W1TR Antennas and QTH]
VHF Yagis for 6m thru 1296 MHz are shown here mounted on a 2 inch OD aluminum mast in the Tri-Ex / Tashjian LM470 tower (70 feet).
A Yaesu G-1000 DXA was installed on the original tower in August 2018 to achieve 450 degree rotation to avoid a dead spot.
The antennas from bottom to top are:
· 6 m, 50 MHz, 5 elements: Cushcraft A505S upgraded to K1WHS design 5 el on 17 foot boom August 2018 (picture far right below)
· 2 m, 146 MHz, 4 elements: Vertically Polarized Beam for 2 Meter FM Operation, Unknown Manufacturer
· 2 m, 144 MHz, 15 elements: W1JR prototype JR Boomer, a Cushcraft 13B2 modified to have triple reflectors
· 222 MHz, 13 elements: Unknown manufacturer, similar to Cushcraft.
· 70 cm, 432 MHz, 19 elements: Cushcraft A719B
· 33 cm, 902 MHz, 33 loop elements: Microwave Associates
· 23 cm, 1296 MHz, 46 loop elements: Microwave Associates
As of 18-Dec-2024, a year after the Disaster Before Christmas when the original VHF/UHF Tower was lost in a severe windstorm, the new VHF/UHF tower was finally replaced.
Some minor antenna repairs and adjustments are still pending, but the antenna system is on-the-air on 6 and 2 meters (both FM and SSB/CW).
The 222, 432, 902/903, and 1296 antennas await testing of the transverter stack.
Building Back Better (for real)
New
VHF/UHF Tower using Tri-Ex / Tashjian LM-470
To the left is the new tower with all antennas and coaxes installed, but telescoped down.
To the right is the new tower with the rotor and mast installed, but without antennas, on a test run of the crank-up capability to 70 feet.
The HF tower behind and to the right is the same height, but farther away.
Full operational capability is awaiting the test of the 222, 432, 902/903, and 1296 transverters and antennas.
