Nokesville

When we learned that our second child was due, it was time to find a larger house and settle in for the family-raising and mortgage years. Naturally, I saw it as an opportunity to find a QTH for a substantial antenna farm, complete with a sizable tower, and maybe some large wire antennas that would fit entirely on our property (My 160M dipole in Dale City was half on our 1/4 acre lot, and half in our next-door neighbor's 1/4 acre lot).  

After enough foreign stations were confused by the pictures of the old antenna and operating positions on QRZ.com and on this site, it seemed like it was time to move them to this archive page. The explanations of how I no longer had the tower pictured, and how the new owner of the house "inherited" a 100-foot ham radio tower, with a 2 element 40M yagi, tribander, and rotator often bring a laugh from hearers of the tale. Investigating the cost of removal of the tower and antennas, I realized that the hardware would need to be sold to pay for the takedown, and the net result would be no antennas or tower to take to our new home. I did not want to duplicate the system, but I do fondly remember it, especially the 40M antenna, which put many countries in the log over the 24 years, only surpassed by 20M.

This is not an extensive page, but to all the ops who came through my station over those years, and the many hams at the other end of the QSO, I extend thanks for the memories.  

The antenna system, from the weekend it went up in 1987, included the Cushcraft 40-2CD at 110 ft., and the KT34XA tribander at 100 ft. The 3 inch steel (fence pipe) mast and Rohn 45 tower withstood many ice storms, and plenty of wind, with nearby lightning strikes never touching it, and all the large trees that fell, were always inline with the guys in the woods, and only once did a small tree fall across a guy wire. It was an amazing track record, and Wayne, N2FB, who did the installation did an amazing job. I With the exception of the reflector tilt on the 40M yagi, which never got any worse in 24 years, there wasn't a loose bolt or nut on the entire system. I did break the ring gear in a Tailtwister after 10 years of banging around in the wind, but otherwise, the entire setup was reliable. I added the side-mounted antennas over the years myself, and K5OF put up the 2M antenna at 105 feet, and Mike, KA4RRU, took it down. My one climb to stand on the top of the tower convinced me that I was NOT a tower dog, and made me all the more thankful for those who did what I would not. In addition, helpers with what was add to tower, include KC8C, WB4ZNH, KK4KM, KT3Y, K3TRM, and others I may have forgotten. Last, but by no means least, I thank my wife Diane, who said, "if you can hide it, you can have it," and endured plenty of its collateral impact to our lives.