VE6AB Mobile Ops
Snowball Recipe
You know what they say about the best time to do antenna work is when the weather outside is frightful!
I'm just funning with you, and although a weather event brought a early taste of winter to southern AB, I had the itch to play radio, and a little snow and wind was not going to dampen my enthusiasm to make it happen.
With most everything I needed already residing in my mobile, the only thing required to be loaded was my log-periodic that due to its length, lowering the midgate of my Avalanche is required allowing the antenna to extend into the backseat. So normally I leave the log-periodic at home as normally my day to day activities includes chasing trains with my camera equipment residing on the backseat of my Av.
Although the snow wasn't to bad, a northwest wind was making it interesting while setting up my pushup mast and antenna. Once everything was in place and the antenna up top, I retreated to the comfort of the truck and the operating position at my radio stack.
In actuality there was a method to my madness, as I wanted to run some tests with my log-periodic antenna set up in adverse weather that included windy conditions, allowing me to check out how the ball-mount attaching the antenna to the mast held the antenna securely with the it being buffeted by the wind.
After a couple of hours of running tests that included rotating the mast and antenna with the 12 volt rotator through 360 degrees back and forth, I was satisfied with how the mount was holding the antenna rigidly in place and called it done.
With everything dismantled and stored, I headed for home on what proved to be very slick roads with the snow continuing to come down. welcome to fall in southern Alberta.
Expand the photo for a closer look.....
