To all newbies

[TedLoon]

Hi to all the people out there looking at this forum and thinking " should I buy one or not ".

Well I did just that for about a month and took the plunge. I have the Radar Box on ground level....... well 8 foot above the ground and live in a built up area in Manchester/Stockport allbeit on the flight path.

I am quite lucky that flights from Europe heading for the USA/Canada do turn and head out over Ireland just above me.I normaly get 20/30 flights max at any given time, so yesterday i did an experiment and took my laptop upstairs and popped my anntena in the loft space and got unbelieveable results by moving UP some 20 feet. My polar diagram (pretty naff compared to some on here) went right out over the N sea, southern Scotland, well south of birmingham, isle of man, Wales is a bit of a bugger but hey ho. I had in total 150 flights at one time and that's just a 20 foot elevation....... next is the poles/antenna and with a bit of luck I might see them landing in Australia, not southern Australia just north,I don't expect miracles for christ sake.....

Regards Colin


P.S I'm not on the payroll........ happy spotting

[Canonjohns40D]

That's it Ted you've flipped your lid you are now a fully fledged, totally addicted member of the forum. Continue to enjoy it just gets better and better.

JOhn

[WAL 2T]

Be careful putting that antenna up - remember what happened to Rod Hull.

[TedLoon]

John i flipped long ago

Chris I'm not fitting it with an emu under my arm hahaha

I did however fall off my roof 4 years ago fitting an anonemeter<<<<<<that hurt

[daveg4otu]

that hurt

Yep- I can vouch for that.....

20 years ago whilst   putting a 2m GP antenna up in the  top of a  tree in the garden - the ladder slipped and I came down 30 feet the quick way - broke an ankle( went up and finished the job before going to the hospital)......

The bigger  hurt was the sudden realisation that  I don't bounce!

[TedLoon]

WELL I WAS BRUISED ALL OVER........... oh and by the way I'm a BT/openreach engineer. falling as in telegragh poles is not really our thing

[WAL 2T]

Shame that was a vertical Dave, I've fired many a long-wire up into trees with a fishing catapult. The crossbow method isn't really an option around here.

[malc41]

I use children, my kids love climbing trees with a piece of loose wire between their teeth

Suppose its similiar to sending children up chimneys in victorian days?

[WAL 2T]

The aluminium or GRP push-up and lock poles you can buy from amateur radio outlets are a good alternative for people who don't want to be lashing things to the chimney, also means you only need to lower the sections to bring it down for maintenance. Some of them have quite thin top sections though so you'd probably have to fix a typical 1090MHz vertical to the second-to-top section.

http://www.radioworld.co.uk/~radio/catalog/large-mast-feet-extended-p-4293.html?osCsid=0921499452874495e68c1a76bd352035

[daveg4otu]

Unfortunately my kids are a bit to old to  force to do that now (Youngest  is 38).Anyway the new address here is devoid of any trees over about 5 feet.

I'm just keeping an eye open for a secondhand Electricity pylon - should so nicely- I think the feet might just fit in the  garden.

:)

[TedLoon]

on a lighter note

women find she is on hard times and writes a letter too GOD

" please God can you send me £100 so the kids can eat ETC" and posts it too God.

 The lads at the sorting office see the letter TO GOD and think " what do we do"

 so they open it and decide to have a whip round but only mange to raise £90. And send it to the sender.......

Two weeks later another letter arrives at said sorting office.......... TO GOD....

the lads open it and its says.......... Oh thank you God for the money you sent... but


























can you keep an eye at the lads at the sorting office because i think they are ripping us off as i only received £90............

[malc41]

just borrow a bit of next doors, sure they won't mind

[malc41]

wal 2t

very interesting, hadn't thought about those

cheers

[daveg4otu]

Topical ....

What's the difference between a UK politician and a dog that have both been hit by a car?

Skid marks leading up to the dog.

[TedLoon]

Any politicians claiming expenses for a RB?