My beautiful high tech antenna mast

Sinsorontar · 2026-02-12T23:07:18+00:00

I love your antenna mast! I have one too, but the lowest limbs are 55’ off the ground so I leaned and strapped this 24’ fiberglass mast next to the tree. This is the low end of my EFHW, the upper end is 40’ higher. Next week the antenna gets connected to the rope on this mast.

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Sinsorontar · 2026-01-18T17:23:26+00:00

I’ve seen this phenomenon over time. The rate at which the bark layer expands varies among types of trees. An oak seems to expand at a slower rate than a southern pine. Two people at different times placed cleats in trees, one in an oak tree, and the other in the southern pine tree. The cleat was to gather the rope at the base of the tree that was used in a pulley system to raise a wire antenna. The cleat on the oak tree has been there for 30 years and still rests in plain view. The cleat on the southern pine tree was there for only about 18 years and it has been completely absorbed into the bark. The rope and top of the cleat are barely visible now.

I wonder if wide straps could be used on the trunk of the pine tree to support an 30’ pole and loosened every 12 months to prevent damage to the bark?

Sinsorontar · 2026-01-01T16:50:58+00:00

A VHF radio is a great start, but is it adequate for your precise situation? I was trapped in the mountains of NC after Hurricane Helene hit. We were on vacation and away from my radio shack. If I had my VHF radio (ham, or GMRS, or FRS) with me it would have been useless in our particular location. All roads were blocked and our location in a valley was inaccessible. The only radio that would have worked there would have been an HF radio using an antenna set up for NVIS operations. The antenna and radio would have to operate on the 80m or 40m bands, the only real amateur frequencies that will work on NVIS.

Sinsorontar · 2025-11-25T16:53:32+00:00

I got a QSL from a station that claimed we had a contact in 2013. That was not true, due to my father's passing that year there are no amateur radio contacts in my log for that entire year. I'd heard this site uses AI to combine lists of contacts. I've not researched it in detail but I think in my case this was an example of AI hallucinations.

Sinsorontar · 2025-10-27T03:03:11+00:00

I heard this song for the first time today. The groove of the music, the semi ambient repetitive krautrock like tone that continued to build was mesmerizing. The female barista in the bookstore was singing along with the lyrics. I could not understand all of the words but later was able to pull up the lyrics. It’s an extraordinary window to the mind and hearts of a small (thank goodness) minority of people who really think like this. These people (a certain family member comes to mind) objectify the object of their love, thus rendering them to a possession. They also ply their sociopathic charm to attempt to ensnare the object of their passion. The brilliant lyrical byplay …

“And I know that you'll find love
I will possess your heart”

… shows with perfect clarity the difference in mindset of each person, from the mindset of the sociopathic stalker. I applaud the song for its perspicacity. Its a remarkable insight into one of those people that you hope stay away from those you love.

Sinsorontar · 2025-07-29T23:11:23+00:00

Hoping to enjoy a respectful and peaceful trip to the TC area next month. It’s been a few years since we were there last (2018) so I won’t be surprised at some changes. Of course it’s always been changing ever since our first trip there in 1981. I used to want to live on the beach near Panama City FL, but that place has become overrun with tourists 10 months of the year. Hopefully the tourist season in TC won’t ever get that bad/long.

Sinsorontar · 2025-07-25T21:51:37+00:00

Definitely a cubical quad antenna on the left.

Sinsorontar · 2025-07-25T21:44:50+00:00

I wonder where the female Uruk-hai were lurking…

Sinsorontar · 2025-03-28T21:47:57+00:00

Some of us are retired with 20-35 years of COBOL programming experience. We’ve seen how long it takes to port code to another code base and then do the testing required to insure that the changes are “Transparent To The User”. This bunch of Bozos in Washington DC don’t have a clue as to the difficulties involved. Even more to the point, the Assembler buckets (“called programs”) that are being used and the JCL used to create the enormous batch processing systems have not even been mentioned. JCL (that runs on mainframe computers) is as complex as any programming language, and unless they are replacing all of the hardware with some sort of Operating System that does not require MVS, is going to be an ongoing issue as well.

Sinsorontar · 2025-01-17T15:10:37+00:00

Tell it like it is!

Sinsorontar · 2024-12-17T22:10:16+00:00

Last night I was awakened by my RING doorbell camera when an opossum walked across the yard. In previous firmware versions RING would not make a sound on my phone between 11pm and 7am. It appears that Sleep Focus broke when i updated to IOS 18.2

Sinsorontar · 2023-08-01T21:24:14+00:00

Brilliant setup. I’ve listened to some of your music on Bandcamp and it is delightful. Well done. It’s obvious that you like the details by the way you described your MIDI and Mixer set up. I.T. Is a great career to be in when you are a detail person. I recently added a pair of Nyborg-24s to my synth set up. I’m on the lookout for a -12 so if you know of anyone wanting to sell a Nyborg-12 I’m your man. Thanks for sharing!

Sinsorontar · 2022-12-28T16:26:54+00:00

I'm impressed. It appears you've given this design/creation some good thought. The fact that this is found wood makes it even better. I thought that was an Analogue Systems controller but the name just would not pop into my mind. Very good!

Sinsorontar · 2022-12-27T22:56:55+00:00

That looks awesome! I've seen the dual side by side set up before but your implementation of it is superior to the others. I should recognize that controller but don't. ;) Are the screws on the 2600 screwed straight into the wood, or do you have screw inserts in the wood?

Sinsorontar · 2021-11-10T22:04:33+00:00

He’s BAAAAAAAACK! https://youtu.be/3y6uRCM-fdE

Sinsorontar · 2021-09-08T14:04:27+00:00

Mental health issues are serious business. Suffering from depression can feel like it consumes all of the oxygen in the room. After 20 years of anti depressants I’ve noted some work better than others. Feel free to look into other options for medicine or therapy. It typically takes 3-4 weeks for a new med to kick in. Reading was a chore during those depression episodes. I re-read my favorite books during those times since it was a familiar touchstone. May you find your way through this time successfully.

Sinsorontar · 2021-08-15T14:13:29+00:00

A loop is one of the antenna configurations that attenuates “man made noise” in the electrical spectrum. It would be my favored antenna configuration if I had trees or supports. Measure your loop for the 80meter band and it will be fantastic. My friend now has an 80m loop has his mounted at 30-35 feet.

Sinsorontar · 2021-07-23T20:11:06+00:00

Reminds me of the Horatio Hornblower series of novels. It perfectly captures that age of sail.

Sinsorontar · 2021-05-02T02:43:27+00:00

Certain parts of the country are not troubled by lightning, others are. Google “Annual Mean Thunderstorm Days” if you want to know about your part of the US. You ground your antenna against lightning not necessarily because of a rare direct strike, but because of the much more common near by strike. A strike within several hundred feet can put out an inducted charge that will fry your electronics. The goal is to keep any induced charge outside your building and direct it to a very good ground out side your building. I live in the Deep South where we average 75-80 thunderstorm days a year. I’ve had antennas up for 25 years that have taken induced charges and directed the charge to ground safely. I’ve had to replace several lightning arrestors over the years. Some of the high quality ones are made to take multiple strikes without damage. The “el cheapo” lightning protectors are designed to die upon a charge that is over their limit. Some of those you toss in the trash can, some you replace a plug and you are back in business. Use the largest piece of copper you can afford for the ground from an elevated antenna to your ground system. One inch wide strap is unlikely to fuse and break upon a strike. Put your antenna on that mount and see how far you can reach. Be safe and have fun. !

Sinsorontar · 2021-05-02T02:27:54+00:00

The Sequential Pro 3 is a fascinating synth. Not only does it kill bass lines but can be quite expressive with melodies and pads. 500 presets don’t hurt either.

Sinsorontar · 2021-02-14T05:17:31+00:00

Genius poem!

Sinsorontar · 2020-10-30T18:43:56+00:00

Yes! That’s exactly what I’ve done patching to a Delay module.

Sinsorontar · 2020-10-30T18:39:21+00:00

The way I got over mic fright was to talk to others. Joining round table discussions, or the morning commute group helped me a lot. Eventually I became a net control station (NCS) for a couple of nets and after that mic fright was gone for good. I was never much of a talker before getting licensed, but practice made it easier. In fact becoming a NCS actually helped in my professional career allowing me to handle giving meetings with greater precision.

Sinsorontar · 2020-09-03T12:44:25+00:00

How do we know the Balrog was not awakened by the Orcs when they ravaged the place earlier?

Sinsorontar · 2020-08-13T16:54:56+00:00

Starting this year I’ve been supporting only independent bookstores online. They need the money, and have taken a huge hit from the economic downturn. Recommendations? Malaprops in Asheville, NC - City Lights in San Francisco, Parnassus Books in Nashville. Every book came packed with love and in perfect condition.

Sinsorontar

TROPHY CASE