Rotating Tower at W8JI

This is the 195-foot tall rotating tower at W8JI. The rings and rotor were made by K0XG. The tower is Rohn 55G.

View from contesting barn side.

Antenna placement in pictures below:

The main HF antennas are:

M2 three element full size 40M on 47 ft boom.

Modified KLM 6 element 20 meter Big Stick. Now has 5 elements wide spaced 56 foot boom with hairpin match.

Modified KLM 6 element 15 meter Big Stick. Now has 5 elements wide spaced 38 foot boom with hairpin match.

Modified Telrex 40 Meter with 47 foot boom. Duplicates the M2 now in dimensions for better stacking.

Homebrew 6 element wide spaced with 36 foot boom. Hairpin match.

Installing Large Yagi Antennas

First we had to remove all the old antennas from the existing 165 foot Rohn 55G tower:

Justin and W8JI Tom at top

We then added 3 sections of tower, a new guy ring, and a new layer of guy lines. The first antenna up was a full size 40 meter Yagi. This is a homemade cradle that rides up on a temporary steel tram line. It holds the antennas flat and stable while being pulled into position:

Tom and Justin rigging the antenna to the trolley.

Then we pull the antenna up:

Coming into place at the top:

Bolted in place after hanging from boom strut cable:

Trolley is lower back down tram line:

Later in the morning the upper 40M Yagi is in position:

The completed antenna system:

See W8JI contest station

since Sept 20, 2007