Goal Surpassed in Repeater Building Fundraiser 

CVARC members responded to the call for help and raised $1,000 towards painting and upkeep at the Sulphur Mountain repeater site operated by the Pleasant Valley Amateur Radio Club.

With the fantastic response by CVARC members, we significantly exceeded our goal of raising $700 for the project. The building that houses the repeaters on Sulphur Mountain hadn’t been painted since it was installed there years ago and was in desperate need of a paint job.

Thank you for your help and generosity!

Project Closeup: KC7UQD’s Go Box

This front view shows the general anticipated layout. The 2-meter radio and at least one of the SignaLinks will most likely hang from a top mounted shelf. You can see the joint with the sharp edge. You might also be able to make out that the shelf “tabs” are resting on the rounded corners of the case, and the screw holes don’t line up. Cables to a laptop will likely route out the front, under the 706.

By Brian Ginn-KC7UQD

I’ve had a mobile/portable “go box” in mind for quite a while, as my radios are currently mounted in a wooden shelf that’s bolted to the desk and wall. The current mounting scenario makes it inconvenient to take a radio somewhere else (maybe camping).

I’ve watched several YouTube videos, and they all make it look easy. I liked the looks of the Gator case style more than the “ammo box” style or the Pelican case style. Some of the hams with the Gator case, have commented on how heavy a “6U” box can get. 

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Multiband TV Rabbit Ear Antenna

Extend rabbit ears to 17” or so for 2 meter use; for 6 meters,  use the rabbit ears fully extended and add 12” clip lead at ends of the dipole. (Channel 2 TV used frequencies just a bit higher in frequency than the 6 meter band.) Use power meter, SWR bridge, or internal metering in the transceiver to achieve lowest VSWR. Meant for QRP use only! Plastic Schedule 40 PVC pipe in one-foot sections, with PVC couplings, makes for a simple mast, which can be put in a suitcase for travel or in a day pack for hill-topping/SOTA use. – Pete, N6ZE

Raising a Hex Beam Antenna

Levitating the hex beam

By Joe Tischler- KN6JGX

No man is an island unto himself even during a pandemic.  Thanks to seven men, including my three sons, and four weeks, my new hex beam antenna is in place and well established.  I was originally going to fasten the mast to the chimney but that changed when my youngest son Adam suggested otherwise.  When you consent to a little help you open the door to additional ideas, some good some not. 

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