HI ROy,

Roy  wrote in a message to Richard Webb:

 RW> Yep, thereis an audible compass, got electronic plans for it around
 RW> here .

R> Not from 73 magazine, I hope.
NOpe, from the sMIth KEttelwell technical file, a tech journal put out by
the sMith KEttelwell institute in SAn Francisco which was for technically
oriented blind folks. IN fact, if you see file announcements and anybody
near you is carrying ep-fdn file echoes I hatched the whole archive in
ep-ascii a couple months back. IF you're trying to assist any local blind
hams with metering solutions etc. IT's a worthwhile resource.

 R>> Being a seeing person, I have a different method. I walk south side
 R>> of my antennas until I can line up the North star with them. I then
 R>> place a stake in the ground for reference in daylight. That stick is
 R>> due south of my antennas. I then synchronize both norths on the rotor
 R>> controll box and then set it to south. I mark the south side of the
 R>> antenna pole with a felt tip pen, then mount the rotor on the antenna
 R>> pole. When I install the antenna I point it south and tighten it in
 R>> place.

 RW> Yep, the straight line from that stick and a stake was going to help
 RW> for the guy up top, much like your method. wIll have to do it all
 RW> again though now when the tower goes back up.

R> Wish I had my tower here. I sold it before leaving California. 

I inherited this one.  FUnny story how that happened.  WHen we were
restoring that old shack in the woods after Katrina i mentioned to my
lady's son-in-law how that on one of our trips to Lowe's or home despot
we'd have to get about 20 ft. of pushup mast or soe black pipe so I could
get my 2 meter antenna up. HE said  "don't buy anything for mast, I
got a line on something for you."

Two weeks later he called to me in the house while I was busy playing on 75
meters one night, told me to come out and help him unload this mast he got.
I went out there, found three sections of ROhn 25g.

I asked him where he got them, and at first he wouldn't tell me.  I told
him I didn't want them unless he'd fess up where they came from, because if
they were stolen out of somebody's yard I didn't want the grief. HE
admitted then that my lady's ex husband gave them to him for us. sEems he
was big into cb, but after his tower structure damaged the house his
current wife said no more, and these were the last three sections he had
left. TO keep peace in the family he gave them to his ex wife .

 R>> I've really got to get with the program. My antennas are mounted in
 R>> the plumbing breather pipe and the wind turned it a few degrees off
 R>> of where I had it set and I lost almost all of the channels. My day
 R>> off today, so I guess I better get with it.

 RW> I'm probably just going to put a two meter beam on a 25 foot mast
 RW> here and have it stationary, pointed at Memphis.  THe dual band omni
 RW> will go above the tri-bander and should give me most of the MEmphis
 RW> area on vhf and uhf.

R> I've got some VHF and UHF yagi antennas here, but nothing in the air.
R> I've got a mag base dual bander sitting on an old VTVM next to the
R> window and a UHF ground plane hanging from a curtain rod in the same
R> window. I get all the ham stuff I want to hear with those. At least
R> for now.

Yah I want the dual bander nice and high though so that I can hit the
Jackson Tn. metro area as well as MEmphis.  I"m about halfway between.
HEnce the beam will go on the short mast and come down when we deploy for
emergencies.

 RW> don't even own a television, neither the wife or I care for it.
 RW> THErefore I don't have that problem with the signals.

R> Well, I can understand your not being interested. Unless a program is
R> narrated, there's a lot to miss without being able to see it. 

Yah and I find on the channels I do like there's too much repetition. 
watch enough when on the road staying in motels .

 RW> A friend of mine closer to MEmphis found out his outdoor antenna
 RW> didn't perform well as the indoor with the new digital signals. I
 RW> guess too much signal .
R> LOL! I'd say the outdoor antenna was probably too far gone to be of
R> any use getting any signals.

HE'd just put up the new outdoor.  we surmise multipath was the culprit.
FOr the uninitiated nonradio folks in this echo, multipath is what happens
on vhf uhf to signals.  THE signal leaves the transmitting antenna, bounces
off that mountainside or tall building. YOu get the direct signal from
transmitting antenna to your antenna, and the bounce.  WIth analog TV
that's what gave you that ghosting effect even when you thought you should
have a good clera signal. HOWever, with digital the decoder can't sync to
it.
I remember in NEw oRleans one night illustrating multipath to a lady in a
bar with an ash tray, a pitcher and a couple of glasses, drawing diagrams
with my hands on the bar top .

Regards,
           Richard
... So she said it was her or ham radio, over.                           
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+