Just an Update on the progress of the 6 meter quad antenna

  I decided to give an update on the progress of my 6 meter quad build. This is mainly the building of the spreaders. All of these parts are at your local lowes and home depot stores. The only part I had to order was the pvc 5 way adapter. The tools are also bought locally at lowes, home depot and harbor freight.

 I used the grey pvc 3/4 inch conduit, because it is UV resistant and can be used above ground as well as below ground. The grey pvc conduit is cut to approximately 18 inches in length. The pvc could be painted with a UV resistant paint if desired. I used a 3/4 inch piece of dowel rod cut to approximately 12 inches. I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in one end of the dowel rod to about 6 inches in depth. The trickey part was to use clamps to hold the dowel rod in place. You also have to drill evenly into the end of the dowel rod or the hole will be crooked. I had to do this a couple of time.

 I used a hillman 48 inch fiberglass staff driveway marker that is 3/8 inch in thickness to insert into the dowel rod. I also used a pvc cap on one end of the grey pvc conduit pipe and drilled a 3/8 inch hole in it so the fiberglass staff will fit through it.  The pvc cap was tapped in place with a rubber mallet and then the 3/8 inch hole was drilled in it.

 I followed the same procedure for assembling the spreaders. First I slid the fiberglass staff through the pvc cap and into the grey pvc conduit. The fiberglass staff is pushed out of the end of the pvc pipe temporarily.
I then inserted the fiberglass staff into 3/8 inch hole in the center of the dowel rod. I used a rubber mallet to tap the fiberglass staff in the dowel rod. It was a pretty tight fit. If you would like you could use some marine adhesive to glue the parts, but might no be necessary due to the tight fit. This also gives some play in the adjustment of the spreader length. I have found that for six meters it will be set even with the open end of the pvc conduit pipe. The spreader can then be inserted into the pvc 5 way adapter.
  If you decide you can glue the pvc parts together for a more permanent antenna. You may also use small stainless steel screws to keep the pvc parts together.
  This is a list of the tools I used to build the spreaders. I used a electric drill with an adjustable speed. The drill in the photo was just used for a pilot hole. If you have a drill press it would be much better to keep things straight. I also used a pipe cutter to cut the pvc conduit. I used a 3/8 in drill bit the is 12 inches in length. I did use some smaller drill bits to get a good pilot hole in the dowel rod first. I used some clamps from harbor freight to hold the pvc pipe in place while I cut it to my preferred length. The pvc 5 way adapters were ordered from green house mega store on line.
  The next post will be more on getting the spreaders on the 5 way pvc adapters. Also the boom assembly and the assembly of the wire on the spreaders. I am debating on using a hair pin matching assembley for adjustment of the swr.

 Thanks for reading and 73s from KC2YTI
 
 

Studying For Your Ham Test

  When I thought about going for my Technician license I was not quite sure where to get the information or study material. I did have some old radio shack books from 1994. So I went on a quest over the internet looking for any information I could find. I could not believe the wealth of study materials and sites out there.
  I downloaded some different study guides and question pools with answers. I read these over and over until I felt satisfied. I then decided that I would look for some free study sites on the web. I found one site called AA9PW where I could practice the tests over and over until my score was passing. I did alot of reading as well so I was not only memorizing ,but was also learning all about Ham Radio.
  I decided to go to the Hamfest here in Rochester New York and take the test. Well after sweating bullets I handed it in to be scored. Well to make a long story short I passed. I waited awhile and decided that I wanted to go to the next license, which is the General.
  I followed the same routine again and found all sorts of information for the General Class license. I studied for quite a long time and when I kept passing the practice tests I decided to go for it. This time I went over to Rochester Institute Of Technology and took the test. They graded it and I passed with a pretty good score. I earned that on June 18, 2010.
  Well after much thought I have decided to go for the Extra License. I do have a slight advantage with my degree in Electrical Engineering, so I understand the Electronic side of things. I have been studying at Ham Test online, HamExam.org and have downloaded a program from Shenandoah Software called Amateur Radio Test. I also have some power point presentations for the Extra License Study and other question pools. I have been thinking about getting the Gordon West study book and software. It may take awhile , but I will get there.
  Thanks for reading, 73s from KC2YTI

  

Just A Little About Computers and Viruses

  I figured since I have been working as a computer service technician since 1996 I would give some advice for everyone. The most popular repair I see is cleaning up viruses. The problem is that viruses can come in from anywhere these days. As Hams we use computers in a variety of ways, whether for keeping a log book or voice over internet as well as other ways.
  If your computer becomes infected do not click on it. Hold the power button in for 10 to 15 seconds and the computer will shut off. If you have access to another computer then go on the internet and look for these programs. Download tdsskiller.exe, combofix(not ready for windows 8 yet), malwarebytes(USE THE FREE VERSION NOT THE TRIAL VERSION), spybot 2.1 and super anti spyware portable. Save them to a flash drive so you can copy them into a temp folder on the root drive of your computer.
  You should boot the computer to the safe mode with networking if possible. Run each program in the same order that you downloaded them and do it one at a time. The computer will reboot after some of them are run. Just try and reboot back into the safe mode with networking. Some other programs that are useful are a-squared and eset online scanner.
  There are occasions when you can not get into the normal or safe mode. What I do is download a program called Hirens 15.1 which is a iso file, which can be burned to a cdr disk. This is a bootable disk with a wealth of programs on it. When you boot off it choose the mini windows environment. You can then insert your flash drive and copy your saved virus cleaning programs to the root drive which is usually c: drive and put them in a temp folder or whatever folder you choose. The next step is to boot the computer to the safe mode with command prompt. Now this is where some old dos will be used. Type cd\ to get to the c:\ prompt. Now type cd and leave a space, then type the name of your folder and press enter. You will be in the directory (folder) you created. Now you can type for example "combofix.exe" and this will run the program. Just follow the program through and let it run. If it does reboot the system remember to get back to the safe mode with command prompt.
  NOTE: To get to the safe mode with command prompt press the F8 key on the keyboard while the computer is first booting up. This is called the post test. You will see a menu with various choices, so you need to use the up down arrows on the keyboard and then press enter.
  There are occasions when you can not get into any of these modes. What I do is disconnect the hard drive from the system and connect another hard drive in its place. Use your windows cd and install a fresh load of windows on it. You do not have to activate the software just enter the product key number when asked for it. This is usually on the top or side of the computer and indicates what your operating system is. The next step is to copy the saved virus cleaning files to the fresh loaded hard drive. Next connect the infected hard drive back in the system on one of the free sata ports. You will need and extra sata cable and possibly an extra sata power connector with a molex 4 pin adapter on the other end. I use one with the Y adapter for extra connections. Now just run each of the programs in the safe mode with networking. The safe mode with networking helps so you can update the programs if they need to. NOTE: for malwarebytes just download the free version not the trial version.
  If none of these are successful then save your data after all cleaning is done and install a fresh load of windows, install all drivers for the system ,reactivate windows, download and install all current critical updates and then copy your data back to their proper locations. The data is usually pics, documents, favorites, music and any other saved information. All programs, printers, cameras etc.... will have to be reinstalled.
  NOTE: For windows 8 I like to go to msconfig and set it for safe boot with networking , so after rebooting it will only go to the safe mode. This can be done for windows 7 and xp as well. Just remember to run msconfig from the run or search box and uncheck safe boot so the system will boot up normally. Also at this time combofix can not be run for windows 8.
  I hope this information helps anyone who needs it. If you have questions leave me a comment or email me.
  Thanks for reading 73s from KC2YTI.