FAIRS ECC
FAIRS ECC
Antenna party giving boost to ARES operations in Floyd Co.
"It’s like an old-fashioned barn-raising, says Tom King (W4VZH). The antenna party King is hosting Saturday morning, September 9, at 9:00 is an ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) event that will bring together local ARES members and other prospective members and raise a tower to aid in communications outside the county."
Please see notes by David St. Lawrence, then photos below..."At 9:00am the fog was so thick we couldn't see the end of Tom King's (W4VZH) driveway, but the ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) volunteers had everything under control. Gaynell Larsen (KK4WWW) was the talk-in operator for the stragglers who were still making their way...to Tom's house at 285 Silver Leaf Lane in Floyd, VA.
ARES may be an amateur radio operation, but this group was as professional as any organization I have ever observed. In less than two hours, a team of 11 people who had never worked together before raised a 35-foot steel tower and mounted a beam antenna on it. It helped, of course, that several of those present had raised similar antennas in locations all around the world.
A team of 9 men raised the steel tower using a Jeep as a backup power source for the final stages when the tower was almost vertical.
Two construction workers, Kathleen Becker and John Deremer, handled the tricky bit of wrestling the beam antenna into place atop the 35-foot tower and bolting it in place on the rotor shaft. They wore safety belts but, as you can see in the picture, the tower was less than 12 inches across where they were performing the final assembly...! They did a flawless job of connecting the antenna feed and sealing it against weather, even though they had never done this before. Tom King (W4VZH) checked out the antenna operation and found it to be eminently satisfactory.
[This team] has made a significant contribution to the emergency services preparedness capability for the region. These amateur radio operators, with ARES, work to assist local and regional authorities to extend communications coverage in emergency situations, and this antenna will provide part of that coverage."
FAIRS News
Antenna Party at Tom King's W4VZH
Photo Gallery
Photo1-KK4WWW is talk-in operator Photo5-Kathleen Becker climbs high Photo2-fighting fog to start Photo6-setting beam antenna
Photo3-beginning to raise 35-ft. tower Photo7-raising the American flag Photo4-set on concrete foundation Photo8-the TEAM!
