Benny's ham radio antenna and tower work

[matt9c1]

seems a bit overkill to me.

[Moskalenkovalerii]

+++ Best DX ! dr UA0CGC op.Valerii

[geekinthepink580]

Pretty sure your neighbors hate your interference lol

[GRIFFEXTREME]

wooow i wish i had neighbours like yours ,,,,i have to make do with a long wire lol

[olyroad]

Congratulations. I am excited by your creativity.!

[slugo4449]

All the people talking about the neighbor complaints. There are no CC&R's and he has owned his house for 45 years and 40 of those years he has had towers up. So the neighbors knew the antennas were there before they bought or moved there. I have always been jealous of Benny and his antenna farm. When he got that 6 meter cubex quad up and six opened up, it was the biggest signal from the San Joaquin Valley, and still is.

73,

-.. . -.- --. -.... --.- -.- .---

[808intheminigrass]

Good stuff...........Aloha

[SuperTechieJ]

Those are some big antennas.

Did you build them yourself?

I guess you can talk around the world with something like that.

I'm looking to get my technician license. Have to start somewhere!

[K6HU]

If this is Benny's antenna farm, I would love to see his shack!

[Philovideo]

Awesome looking antenna farm! I am sure the neighbors do take notice, but, I think it's beautiful! At the moment, I operate HF in a top third floor apartment unit with 30 watts to an end feed 33 foot wire antenna above my apartment balcony mostly running CW or PSK-31. Anyway, great time lapse effect!

73, Bill, KI7F

Englewood, Colorado

[Thercflyer96]

you know, not trying to be an ass, but i just took my test and if that falls thats not 10 ft from those powerlines behind you

[JBstrikesagain]

@Thercflyer96 they do seem a bit close from this angle, but it's hard to be sure.

[clipdan]

this is sweet!

[nightwishturunen]

that was awsome!!!

[motocross03087]

@grok68a Thanks for the intelligent comment, appreciated. I get that the power is low, but personally, until the American Cancer Society or the World Health Organization tells me RF is no issue, I'll continue to worry. I don't know anything about these sorts of antenna and what RF they put out. Curious is all. Dealt with Cell Sites and they put out big RF and many people worry based on not only ACS statements but statements from providers themselves.

[dl8rds]

@motocross03087 don't worry about big antennas. A mobile phone transmitting 2 watts at 1000 MHz has the same energy as 40 watts at that "6 meter" frequency. Remember that you hold a cellphone right to your head. The antenna will be at least 15 meters away, sending the signal beam into the air over your head. So your neighbour may transmit with well a kilowatt and the energy density at your head will not reach that of a cell phone call. Things are only different with professional radio stations.

[KC9TET]

ahahah the mailman arrives at 4:33

[bagboy2525]

Thats a really short tower man,....I think I would do that without the crane. If I had the money for a crane,I would add about 6 more tower sections and get above that 100 ft threshold. You would also help eliminate interference with your neighbors electronics above 100ft.....Just a thought....

[da2qw]

Excellent video, love the antenna setup, very nice indeed. On the tower you mounted the yagi for 20, whats above it ? Yagis for 15 and 10 !!!

Hope it works as well as it looks....

Happy Dxing and happy holidays!

[eloquentlyfly]

KB3RCS - Have never owned or operated more then a CB, but I am interested in a modest investment. I'm limited to an inverted V, and maybe $300 for a radio, and am especially interested in 80 meter / 40 meter, CW.

I have been studying antenna and signal propagation / radio science in general. What type of minimum / maximums success might one expect to have in local and DX. (How far out might be considered good by my peers for a reliable contact.)

[drunksniper]

Man, at 2:31 that antenna looks a lot like the 11m moonraker 6

[imjustpassinthru]

Man, what did it cost to rent that thing?

[KB1DFC]

One of the best I have seen. Giving me some  Idears.

[ra1ajw]

It's looking so wonderful!

Very interesting film about antenna's work!

[JimmyR1rider]

@73xlh LMFAO!!!!!! ok man keep flexin your golden muscles on the airwaves and over a computer- Again billy bad asses all became pansy asses when Katrina hit as well as others in other storms in the past once they ran out of water and the flood waters hit. All the billy bad asses got to be rescued by helicopters because they didnt realize till it was tool ate that being a bad ass only hurts you in the ned- evacuate- NO! 5 days later- USCG!!!! DOWN HERE!!! HELP US!! GET US OFF THE ROOF!! PLEASE!

[W6CSAhamradio]

@JimmyR1rider Hmm Katrina... I think I remember this one... Aug 29, 2005 where I was... Half a block off the Gulf of Mexico in my house in Biloxi, Ms where the only thing that was running was HAMS. YES OH DEAR LORD HAMS SAVED LIVES!!!! and I know of several towers that were still standing after the storm. Nice try but failed analogy.

73 de W6CSA

[JimmyR1rider]

@W6CSAhamradio Yes, August 29,2005 and when me and the rest of the 300 FDNY firemen that volunteered to go down there arrived on Sept. 4th or 5th there was no electricity, so maybe where you were you had your shit intact, in my analogy the other side was that there may be hams on one end but IN THE HEART OF THE DISASTER there will be none and there were none to receive your messages or to answer you back after the storm hit, and dont tell me there were, I saw the ruins they call New Orleans.

[lexmarks567]

when you put antennas up like do you need permits from the city and FCC etc

[ipavemyownroad]

To answer your questions-

Batteries run it when the power is out.

The antenna doesn't have dangerous power on it unless you touch it to power lines (a deadly and all-too-common error!) or you hook it up to a radio and transmit.

[ibpointless2]

Is it true that a ham radio works even when the power is out, does it supply its on own power like those fox hole radios that soldiers made in WWll? Is it also true that you got be care full when hooking up a Ham radio antenna because it can contain plenty of volts that could shock you?

[RonOverdrive]

@ibpointless2 when there's no power ham radio can run off batteries. Some hams even use solar panels to keep said batteries charged while operating. As for antennas shocking you it depends. Some antennas build up a lot of static electricity when they're not being used and can shock you if they haven't been grounded. When in use you can get whats called an RF Burn if you touch it when the operator keys up. These are some reasons why having the antennas high up is preferred.

[JimmyR1rider]

@BlueRollinCoal Not to mention MOST neighbors are probably pissed having to look at an eyesore such as that array of antennas everyday.

[BlueRollinCoal]

@JimmyR1rider That I can't defend other than to advise the owner to move into the country.

[JimmyR1rider]

@BlueRollinCoal I hear ya not tryin to argue just everything man made and designed as well as set up with human hands is succeptable as anything that nature has also lol. I just wouldnt want to be his neighbor in a hurricane and wind up with a tower section crashing through my roof and bridging the length of my living room.

[nitr0burn]

@JimmyR1rider: agreed. I would assume he would be liable for damage caused by his tower killing my sleeping child?

[JimmyR1rider]

@nitr0burn Yeah most definately god forbid something terrible like that would happen. It originated on his property. Just like when I had a sheet of plexi glass fly off my roof rack going dow the highway when the rope securing it snapped. it shattered on the ground but a piece hit a guys car, I had to fix his car since it flew off my car and damaged his. I happily paid- felt bad

[73xlh]

@nitr0burn It wouldn't be his tower doing anything. If a branch off a tree come flying in the same window, who would you sue then? It's all an act of God.

[JimmyR1rider]

@73xlh Again- totally off the point man- if his tower fell he was asking if the guy was liable- im sure he wouldnt sue if a branch broke his window But id be more apt to believe that that tower if caught in a real nasty storm- hurricane, tornado etc WOULD be the main thing that would cause damage- hey everyone has their thing- Id set up a tower myself if I ran a base, have many friends that do, but Id make sure that if it fell it wouldnt cross my property line, just for safety of the neighbors

[W6CSAhamradio]

@JimmyR1rider Id be pissed too... That they aint in my yard lol

[JimmyR1rider]

@BlueRollinCoal Lets not get carried away- yes in 2001 a HAM helped NYPD keep their radios up and what not-BUT a hurricane? I was down in New Orleans -FDNY sent 300 from us alone. The winds and flying debris would have taken out those towers and that station would be as useless as the cell phone networks and landlines were on 9/11. Also by the way my firehouse phone never stopped working( was assigned to Ladder 8 in Tribeca). We called our fam's after the collapse to let em know we were ok.

[BlueRollinCoal]

@JimmyR1rider In a hurricane, yes, those towers would come down or be damaged by debris and not be usable, but it doesn't hurt to have multiple means of communications in-case one fails. When traditional services fail those backup systems become more important, like Satellite phones or 2-way radio systems.

[Hickeydog2365]

@JimmyR1rider

Uhh...there's two parts to each communication system. You have a transmitter and a receiver. This guy may be on the receiving end of a transmission from a disaster zone.

[JimmyR1rider]

@Hickeydog2365 Uhh..... I know this. If you read my original post smart hammy- I stated that in a hurricane or other disaster the in that disaster zone towers would be taken down most likely and at that point-BOTH PARTS OF THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WOULD BE USELESS and I doubt hed receive any transmissions, that is unless hams have developed new systems that transmit from a collapsed tower?......I dont have a ham license but have been into CB's since 1996 I know a thing or two about stations.

[73xlh]

@JimmyR1rider In the event that MY tower would come down, I could fabricate an antenna out of lamp cord or any other pliable wire. I could then acquire a battery from a broken down car and PRESTO, we are back to communicating.

[JimmyR1rider]

@73xlh For Petes sake man- if your tower goes down the weather would be bad enough that the last thing on your mind would be lets grab a lamp cord and PRESTO communicate with someone. Youd be mandated to evacuate just like the rest of the people in your area- unless your billy bad ass- like the ones that refused to leave before Katrina hit- then they were on their roofs waiting to be rescued- without electricity batts. will only last so long and then PRESTO! youd be communicating with NOBODY

[2004ptrblt]

yea yea sure

[2004ptrblt]

havent you ever heard of cell phones..idiot...its 2010

[Pilot853]

Dang, those things are massive! [that's what she said]. The ones in my neighborhood are soo old and rusty. I used to climb them when I was younger. It was fun ;)

[arletteaaa]

@Pilot853 - wait until someone keys down on 1.5kw while your all up in the antenna.

[jortizj100]

Dude this is a funny comment...You should be a comedy writer...

[UPUNKASSBITCH2009]

HAHAHAHA! THAT IS A FUNNY COMMENT..

[tonytonytee]

these antennas kick some ass.. n0amy

[handsupbud]

So like what if after you put all that stuff up and then some hot chick walked by in a Bikini and the boom guy like hit the lever and knocked all the Antennas,towers and trees and everything down or somethin.

[hamsftw]

@handsupbud What if indeed :)

[tribalmasters]

If my neighbour put up big antennas like that there would be no complaints but a lot of envy going on :)

[jaded7713]

I am a Tech class operator and find Amateur Radio valuable but dude, this is overkill!!!! I would never put those huge antennas up in a residential neighborhood. They are an eyesore and look ridiculous.

[k9jpp]

ready for those infamous natural disasters that we all help with.

73's Benny

k9jpp

[lstn74]

eyup121 i'd like to fit a trans world antenna in your anus you porch munk!

[S58F]

Very nice...nice tower ...Benny hope to work you some day on HF.

73¨s de S58F Eric