[TexasARDF] Transmitters status

[Kenneth E. Harker]

     As for transmitter equipment, I now have seven complete transmitter 
boxes.  Each box is a 30cal ammo can with a 7Ah gel cell, a (new style) 
PicCon controller, an HT, and a Vectronics 80M transmitter.  Four of the 
boxes' HTs are Realistic HTX-202, the rest are an assortment.  I plan to 
look for more HTX-202s at Belton on Oct. 1, so we can have uniform equipment.
We have two functional turnstile antennas, and six other turnstile antennas
with everything but the elements completed.  

     What I still lack is:

* A fancy timer system for the start (not sure we need it.)

* A way to chain the boxes to trees (not sure we need it.)

* A convenient way to charge all the transmitters at once.  I have a dedicated
  Astron RS-20A power supply and a charge controller, so I can charge the 
  gel cells one at a time right now.  I guess the easiest thing to do would 
  be to buy another RigRunner, but if we're doing a one-day meet, I'm not 
  sure we need the ability to recharge everything overnight just yet.

* I have a 20' telescoping fishing pole and some wire and some fishing 
  pole holders with a long spike you push into the ground.  I need to 
  build a single 80M vertical transmit antenna, get it right, and then 
  get the materials to build six or seven more.  That will not happen
  before Bastrop.

-- 
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker at kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/