Willis DXERS'CORNER // REMOTELY from the garden

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2 Diamond SP-100 lightning protection cartridges are now finally connected and waiting for a thunderstorm. The ground rods are 1 metre deep on the K9AY and 2 metres deep on the DDA.

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New electrical installation
A lot has happened in recent weeks and months and little has been created. Due to a prolonged dark doldrums, the batteries were not sufficiently charged. As a result, only very limited operation was possible during the winter months. In addition, the batteries were sulphated and needed further technical support in the form of a special charger and a pulse generator to largely dissolve the sulphation. As things stand today, I can say that the batteries are fine again and provide sufficient power. The next measures in this respect are the installation of a thermostat-controlled heater in the new battery box and a strong insulation for the box. The heating will be provided by an additional portable lithium-ion battery in winter.



No 220V power supply possible
Even if it is regrettable, my dream of a real remote-controlled station will not be realised as long as the sun does not provide sufficient energy in winter. As the station is located in a garden area where all available power sockets are occupied, it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. In addition, a new power box would be possible, but my hands are tied here. It would also require digging a cable duct over a length of 30 metres with sufficient depth, which would be very hard work or impossible from a gardening point of view (flower beds etc.). So I'm happy if my programmed recordings work again for power reasons alone. Most of the time I collect the recordings in person, as I have always done in recent years, or get remote access when the power situation allows.

Antennas and SDR
For all these reasons, I had to cancel the purchase of the Aziloop. It makes no sense as long as unlimited remote access is not possible.

Currently 2 SDR receivers, the S2 and S3 from ELAD, are working perfectly again. The S2 had to receive a firmware update from ELAD in the last few weeks, while the S3 worked in the home office over the winter on an ALA.

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DDA raised
One mast of my double delta loop antenna was raised to a height of 9 metres. The originally planned height of 12-14 metres could not be achieved. The treetop did not allow this. I was able to increase the height relatively easily with a straight Y-branch placed on the steel mast segments. The originally planned mast top element of the Aldi flagpole could not be used. The reason for this was the stubborn aerial wire and the prospect of not being able to span this mast top over the branches of the ash tree. The Y-branch also saved the dangerous use of a tree climber. The mast is fixed around the trunk with a guy rope.

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With a 30 % extension of the SE flank, the perimeter of K9AY has grown by about 10 m to 37 m in the SE/NW direction. Whether the extension is in order remains to be seen. The angle has now become somewhat flatter.

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Actually, everything was not a problem. The components were assembled, the elements assembled, the wire roll positioned in a bicycle trailer, and we went out to the neighboring meadow. There, first the earth piles with the connection components were cut into the dry soil, then the galvanized 300 m cable was towed from point A (NE) to B (SE), the 80 m long coax was laid out to the hut, and the RPA- 2 connected. The first test showed remarkably good signals over the entire medium wave, no additional amplified noise due to the preamplifier, in short: the perfect antenna for receiving from the NE direction. A two-hour recording showed me later, how good 300 m antenna cable can be.

Continue reading "The only two hours of a famous 300 m long BOG"

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