My home built base station antenna

A trip down to local Restore got me some PVC parts for cheap. If you don't have one a local hardware store will do just fine. A piece of wire up into the vertical PVC and some wire for counterpoise connected to a SO239. Made a hook towards the top to hang it high in the tree. Got on my ladder and pushed it up as high as I could. Got the feed point at 24 feet which was my goal.

Now if there was just someone local to talk to. Fewer and fewer it seems these days. Two of the locals are said to have boxed up thier radios and put them in the closet. New girl friends didn't like them talking on that darn thing it is said.

So now I just wait for some skip to roll in. I did have a quick conversation on AM 14 from my QTH in Boise to a central California station. Jelly Belly in California gave me a good report on the antenna. If it weren't for him I would still be wondering if it was working right?

Meanwhile 73 from Boise 521.

You are right fogdog. It is very satisfying. Back in the 70s when skip was a daily thing I had a Pierce Simpson 23 ch CB hooked up to a Radio Shack PS. I had built a half wave vertical dipole and was using it as my base station antenna. First day up and testing it I got a DX response to my radio check call. I was living in Eureka, Ca. then and the responder was from central Oregon. With that experience I was hooked on making my own antennas.

Well fogdog I don't recall anyone with that handle in Eureka while I was there. I wen't by BigA . I worked at Pacific Lumber In Scotia. Lived in Scotia a number of years. Bought a house and moved to Eureka and eventually the mill was shut down over politics. New company has it now. Anyway I moved out of Eureka in July of 1999. Didn't keep up the hobby after moving. Took it back up after awhile and there are not a lot of active people here. Got my ham license this last year. Having a ball with it. Doing a lot of FT8. Sure would be fun to do some FT8 on 11 meters.