Tower Sidearm, pt1

 This is a simple and sturdy antenna mount / tower sidearm for Rohn 20 & 25. I've been building these for around 40 years, and have some that are 30 years old and still in operation. This first part is the part that clamps to the tower leg. Using a 1" PVC "T", cut the back side off so the round part that goes around the leg captures a little more  than 1/2 the tower leg diameter, like maybe 190°. It's not critical, watch the video below...

Measuring Coax Loss...

 I have some bits of old coax that I wanted to test. I have some coax in use that is easily 50 years old. I sweep and check for loss at various frequencies, check for moisture ingression, and put them back in service if OK. 

Sony TC-FX44 Tape Deck Repairs

 This is a cool Sony tape deck I got from a friend. It was physically in good shape, but needed some operational maintenance. I cleaned the head, lubricated everything, and replaced a old drive belt. She's back in operation, and good for many years to come!

More Tower Work...

 More tower work, back in March. These vultures are pushing my buttons.... I have some LOUD piezo sounders I'm planning to connect to a motion detector, and see if that deters those turkey-sized antenna wreckers... While I was at it, I also swapped out the rotator assembly and recalibrated it. 

Vintage RX Preamp / Preselector

 This is an old receive preamp and preselector I got from the estate of a friend's dad. It looks like a possible handbook project from years ago, based on the complexity of the circuit, but I don't know for sure. It uses a 6U8 in the rf stage, and has some sort of mute circuit using half of a 12AU7A. 

It was very well built. I replaced the tubes and a bad cap, and use it ahead of my old Ameco Shortwave radio. Here's a few pics...