![]() This end was made this way to slip under the four bolts in the corners of the mount. The radials wer heated at one end using a blow torch and then bent into a "U" shape with a 45 degree bend downward just past the horizontal "U". These are slightly less than 24" long and made of steel. The radials for our antenna were constructed from Insulation Supports made by the Simpson Strong Tie Company. Another two similar holes were drilled and tapped in the vertical surface of the aluminum angle to permit the mount to be secured to the mast without additional nuts, washers etc. These holes were tapped 3/16"-24 because that was the closest tap set we had at the time, not because there was anything special about 3/16"-24. We drilled a 1/2" hole in ther center of the horizontal portion of the angle and four smaller holes in the corners of the same surface. We could have simply gone to the nearest CB shop and purchased a mirror mount for a CB antenna but we had the raw material and he had the skills to make the project work. Since I was visiting my son Steve, KC1AJC at the time, he perused the "junkpile" in the corner of his workshop and began to fashion a suitable antenna mount from a scrap of heavy angle aluminum. I decided to do things a bit differently. According to the instructions from Buddipole this was to be used when erecting a vertical antenna using the components of the Buddipole system. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.This little project came together after I purchased a Buddipole HF Antenna System and noticed that the "Versa-Tee" in the system had an extra mounting hole on the top surface. I plan to take it for land based portable operations in the near and distant future. I like the shoulder bag and tripod that comes with it. This is my third Alpha Antenna purchase and like the others it has not disappointed. ![]() There was no reason to use the Buddipole system my friend Peter, VE4TTH, lent me even once on the entire 23 day adventure. The delta loop has broad side lobes and it did not work over the North Pole when the boat was docked facing North-South yet the Alpha antenna performed reliably and went the distance in all directions. The omni directional radiation of this antenna performed better than the onboard home brew delta loop in some situations. I was able to have QSO with stations 110 nautical miles away and pass traffic to my wife so she knew I was safe since there was no cellphone service. Back in Winnipeg, a local net gets together on 3.747 Mhz every evening. It allowed me to be safe by deciding when to stay put and when to leave the Island. I called on hams on HF who read me the WX forecasts for Lake Winnipeg North Basin from a link I had on my qrz.com page. This alpha antenna proved to be a real asset to have along. George Island is so far north the VHF marine radio did not copy any WX broadcasts. ![]() ![]() The antenna worked excellent on HF bringing in stations from Europe, Australia, South Cook Island, New Caledonia and many destinations in Canada and the USA. The four radiating /guy wires could not be extended in four quadrant directions but I managed to separate them as much as possible considering the restrictions of the dock. I set up the Alpha antenna on the dock at George Island Harbour. I had the opportunity to try the Alpha antenna or a Buddipole on a recent mini sailing DXPedition to activate George Island Light station Can 845 which is located on Lake Winnipeg, MB (VE4 land). ![]()
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