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[Yfoiler]

KE4MBN,

Great posts eveyone! I have been a ham since I was 12 (now 58) and I've kept at it on and off all these years. I like CW mostly, but was very active on the Maritime Mobile Nets for years as I lived aboard a sailboat for the last 26 years (needs head examined!)

I have now moved ashore and have an 11 acre Christmas Tree farm but as yet I have not put up any ham antennas. I've always wanted a great hill-top location for working DX, and now that I have one I have no time to put up my antennas!! Oh well, I'm here now and in time I really look forward to getting back on the air! For laughs you might want to check out my post under "crops" and what the heck to you do with an old Christmas Tree farm when you don't want to be a tree farmer! ;-)

73 everyone!!

Marty

[Pat]

Marty, You got me beat, I was only maritime mobile for 9 years on a sailboat. You may recall the Atlas tranceivers made in Oceanside I think it was. I didn't have on of the popular small models, I had the larger model 350 (if I recall) until I got a Drake 7 and used an insulated back stay for a sky wire for both. I had so much RF in the shack when I cranked the Atlas to the max that I drew sparks to my lips from the mike. Jamul is a tad shallow draft.

I was just telling a fellow expatriot Californian today when asked if I regreted leaving California, not for a microsecond but I would like Oklahoma better with an adjoining ocean. I'm through the living on a boat phase.

I too have not hung any sky wire yet but need to get with it. I can't even get decent FM radio reception, even with an indoor amplified antenna. I may need to put the active ant out under the porch roof and run the output back into the house. If I could find an easy way to drop a wire where I want it I could put a turnstyle in the attic but part of the house is concrete walls and ceilings (no stud cavities.) The good news is that my Office/computer room/shack adjoins the upstairs attached two story shop so running coax out the back side of the shop/garage is not so tough.

How do you like Jamul? Ever been to the Truck museum or do you know Len Premsalaar? He is a ham and used to volunteer at the truck museum and had some sort of gig at the old stone store. He is home ported in Bend Oregon but has spent lots of time around Jamul. He is ex Navy frogman and drove landing craft on D-Day.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Yfoiler]

Hello Pat! Well, 9 years on a sailboat is nothing to sneeze at! You, like me, qualify as being a bit nutty! I sure do remember the Atlas rigs; the 210x 215x and the 350. I ran Yaesu rigs mostly, the 757 GXII was one of my favorites. I too used the backstay antenna, but I connected my coax at the top, not the bottom. That put the current loop at that top and also made use of the rigging as a coutnerpoise. Think of an unbalanced upside down, or inverted Vee. It worked great, had a bit of gain off the back of the boat and also didn't have the RF running around down in the boat! No RF burns! Ha!

I'm new to Jamul, only being here one year. So far so good...if I can get more time to work on this poor property I'll be a lot happier. I'm soon to be in the market for a tractor. In fact that is how I found this site---via TractorByNet.

No, I don't know about the truck museum or your friend. He may know the place I bought. It's the old Pucket Christmas Tree farm. Old man Pucket was quite well known in Jamul. I beleive he was on the Fire dept. board. He and his wife simply got to old to run the place and had to let it go and move in with his son up in L.A. I figure I got a great deal, but it is going to take a lot of work to get it looking good.

Thanks for getting back to me, and I do appreciate your input about the farm and such. We'll see how it goes after I get my tractor and get busy with the mess!

73, Marty

[Pat]

Marty, If you get a chance and have an hour or two to spare check out the museum. If old trucks, fire engines, and even three wheel motorcyle/pickup trucks and other transportation equipment interest you at all you will love the museum.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]