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 Previous: CNCS Emergency Communication Training Grant News |  Next: The K7RA Solar Update |
By Henry L Wyatt, K4YCR
July 14, 2005
I have read many articles lately about Elmering the new hams. While it is good to get new hams into the main stream let's not forget about the older hams who want to remain active. Often hams will move to independent living facilities or retirement communities and in most cases this would mean that these operators would no longer have the towers and antennas that they had in their previous homes.
Fortunately these concerns have been successfully addressed by two upscale retirement communities - Westminster Canterbury and The Summit. Both of these facilities are located in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Frank, W4EZE and Betty, N4LVF, Hannell had been planning for years to move into Westminster Canterbury when they felt that they were ready to give up their larger home and downsize to an apartment. The couple had concerns about being able to install a ham radio station and antenna in their new home but their concerns were quickly eased once they talked to the director of the facility. It happens that Hunsdon or "H" Cary, K4TM is the President and Director of the Westminster Canterbury facility. With Cary's help and access to building plans Frank was permitted to install coaxial feedlines into the special conduits provided by the building contractors just for the purpose of ham radio. All the couple had to do was provide the contractor with the appropriate cable and the contractors would run the lines to the apartment.
 The weather-resistant box with the cover removed to show the copper bottom and the lightning protection devices. Frank's dual band antenna uses a magnetic mount to the top of the box. The box is mounted on the 1-1/4" conduit that protrudes through the roof and is grounded to the building perimeter ground with #6 solid copper wire. |
With the coax installed the next job was to choose an antenna and mount it on the roof.
Frank and Betty chose an apartment on the top floor of course because it meant shorter feedlines and a good ground plane from the metal roof on the building. Because access to the roof is accessible only by the building maintenance staff, the antenna would have to be able to operate on several bands and one that required minimum maintenance.
The Butternut HF-6V was the choice for this installation because it would work on 6 Amateur bands and it was also DC grounded. This was a good choice for operator safety and lightning protection on the 6th floor of Frank and Betty's new home.
The antenna is mounted on
a structural member of the building that braces the false wall surrounding part
of the roof. Special clamps had to be made from steel bars and 3/8" all-thread
rod. Stainless steel hose clamps were used to secure the diagonal brace to the
structure. The Butternut is a good performer but it requires ground radials to
work well. Twelve radials, each one 30 feet long, were made by splitting 18
gage zip cord used for speaker connections. Zip cord is inexpensive and in
this case was purchased at a local dollar store. The free end of each radial
is secured with a common brick. The radials, antenna base and the mounting
structure are bonded to the building perimeter grounding system using #6 solid
copper and split-bolt connectors.
 Frank standing on the roof beside the HF antenna after the installation. |
 Close-up of the antenna mounting, grounds and radials. |
The coax is routed through a water-resistant enclosure with two lightning protection devices, one for each feedline, mounted on a piece of copper flashing. The enclosure is mounted on the "witch's hat" that protrudes through the roof at the end of the conduit. The enclosure is grounded in the same fashion as the antenna base and radials. The second coax line feeds a dual band Larsen mobile antenna mounted to the metal box using a magnetic mount.
Frank has been able to work stations throughout most of Europe, South America, Africa, Australia, Japan, the Indian Ocean, and, of course, the United States. He has even worked the Czech Republic on 75-meter sideband. Frank maintains schedules with his friends on 40 meters.
His only problem is the
S7 ambient noise on his Ten-Tec Omni. "That's not really a problem," he says.
"Everyone receives a signal report of 57+".
 Frank, W4EZE with the construction supervisor during the installation of the conduit for the feedline installation. |
Frank and Betty are members of the Lynchburg Amateur Radio Club, support the club sponsored public service events, and are active with the local ARES. Frank is also a Telecare volunteer with Crisis Line.
The next installation in Westminster Canterbury is planned for next spring and will be for Warren Middleton, W8CXD. Warren is in a different building than Frank and Betty and is considering using a screwdriver type mobile antenna for his installation.
The other retirement complex in Lynchburg is The Summit, sponsored by Centra Health and the local hospitals.
W4VKT, Jim Yates, also a long-time friend and neighbor, has moved in there. He has his apartment on the first floor of a three-story, wooden framed structure with a long open attic.
 Jim Yates, W4VKT sitting at his station in his new home. |
This led to the installation of a multi-band, coax-fed dipole. This was easy enough to fabricate in the basement at home from a roll of #14 solid copper. The insulators are electric fence material and support the wire from the rafters with the "S" hook variety. The only possible drawback to this installation was separation from the telephone wire bundle that was about 8 feet away in the same rafters. Jim has never had any complaints from telephone interference.
The 80-40 meter dipole antenna was installed by the maintenance department of The Summit, as it had to pass through two firewalls in the structure. The wire was snaked through two small holes drilled in the cinderblock and sealed afterwards. The two pieces of coax were brought out the eaves of the building, down the side of a gutter pipe and are practically invisible.
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This antenna installation made me scratch my head several times and call on some other hams for the solution. On 40 meters, the antenna appeared to be shorted. This was the first time I had ever experienced a resonant length of coax on the HF bands. A 15-foot addition to the coax solved the problem. Jim is again back on Army Mars and the ham bands.
Jim's second antenna is a dual band Hustler G6270R VHF-UHF, mounted in the same rafters with a couple of wood screws. He has a great signal on the net each weekday morning.
In addition to his MARS activities, Jim is also quite active on the local ARES nets. He is also an active club member and a hospital volunteer.
I hope that this will inspire many of you to help retired hams in your town stay on the air. By returning the favors of a lifetime of hamming you will not only get a good feeling from keeping these senior operators active, you will also learn something by finding solutions to the challenges of specialized installations of equipment and antennas.
K4YCR is an Extra Class
licensee, licensed since 1958. He is retired as a public school teacher. He is
also a retired Senior Army aviator, signal officer, and public affairs officer
with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is a Volunteer Examiner, participates
in ARES, is the AEC for Bedford Co., and has completed ECOMM Levels 1 and 2.
Henry's wife Joanne, KF4OBF, holds a General Class Amateur Radio license.
| Previous: CNCS Emergency Communication Training Grant News | Next: The K7RA Solar Update |
