I actually got a lot accomplished yesterday. Grocery shopping, errands, and I made some stuffed cabbage for dinner for today. My first time ever. It looks good; but tonight we'll see how good it actually is.
But getting back to the antenna ...........
Yesterday was pretty breezy and chilly. It's hard to believe that on Friday morning, on my way to work it was 60F (15C). A cold front swept through during the day; and by the time I left for home, it was 27F (-3C). The remnants of the wind were still evident yesterday, so I decided to connect the J-Pole to the top most mast section and connect the coax inside, where it was warm.
I worked on the living room floor. Securing the antenna to the mast was a piece of cake using three hose clamps. Then I hooked up the coax just like the picture from Friday's post. I secured the coax running along down the mast piece with cable ties. When it was all done, I went to put on my coat, so that I could carry the assembly outside and place it atop the other mast sections already out there.
That's when it got weird. I wanted to take the cable ties with me, so I could secure more of the coax neatly along the bottom sections of mast. I picked up the package of cable ties from the living room floor and then I looked around for my cutters. I couldn't find them anywhere. I JUST HAD THEM IN MY HANDS !!!!
I checked my pockets - nope. I looked under the sofa, thinking maybe I knocked them under there, somehow. Nope. I checked my coat pockets. Nope. I looked under the hassock and the chairs. Nope. I have no idea where they went. I finally went down the basement for another pair and got the antenna up easily. After I finished running the coax to the shack, I came back inside and started looking for the missing cutters, once again.
I still haven't found them. Maybe they ended up wherever the missing socks from the clothes dryer eventually end up - some sort of parallel universe. They were a pair of Harbor Freight cutters, so they weren't expensive - but they were very good and had become my favorites. I guess the bright side of the story is that I'll get to go to Harbor Freight in order to buy another pair - and you know what will happen, don't you? As soon as I buy another pair, the missing ones will somehow miraculously show up!
The bottom line is that I seem to be hitting the repeaters I need to hit, very well. I am officially ready for the monthly ARES nets that I participate in. This month they occur this coming Tuesday evening. I can finally join them from the chilly comfort of my basement shack - much better than running out to the car in order to use the mobile rig.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Good evening Larry I had a smile on my face as I was reading your post regarding "I just had them" sometimes I tend to use more colourful language. Just last week I was using a box cutter knife and I said "I just had the *&&#$ box cutter" I looked everywhere and just gave up. THEN later that week I was dusting and on the top of one of our IKEA storage cabinets low and behold the box cutters!!!! Then I remembered a picture on the top of the IKEA cabinet was just not straight. I stood on a chair PUT THE BOX CUTTER DOWN ON THE TOP to get the picture just right. I got down off the chair leaving the box cutters on the top of the cabinet.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking for something I have lost I love it when asked "Where was the last place you had them or saw them" IF I KNEW THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE LOST!
It's great to know I am not alone regarding this Larry.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Ha ha! That is so familiar! Several tools, far too large and shiny to simply have disappeared have, nevertheless, vanished during my antenna work! I keep thinking that summertime grass cutting will soon show them up with a big 'crunch', but it never happens!
ReplyDelete