VK4BR

Thomas Rowan

161 Baaring Drive

Karana Downs, Brisbane

Queensland  4306

AUSTRALIA

EMAIL  [email protected]                         Brisbane 27S, 153E. UTC+10

Karana Downs is the furthermost western suburb of the City of Brisbane. Here the setting is one of Semi-Rural, and there is a feeling of living in the country although we are only 30 kilometers or half an hour to the centre of Brisbane.

My Family and I live on about 1.75 acres and in 1987  I finally got my mast and aerial installed. The mast itself is triangular 23 inches on each side and 37 meters high. There are 2 sets of guys, the lower to 48 feet and highest to 93 feet and 30 feet of un-guyed tower section. The mast is very heavy duty (ex Mil) and has a ladder and supporting safety systems for climbing.

About 1-2 feet above the top of the mast is the 3 element monoband 20 meter beam, on a 20 foot boom, gamma matched.  Approx. 10 feet above the 20 meter antenna (at approx 135 feet/40 meters) is a 2 element 40 meter beam.

The feed lines to the antenna are each approx 100 meters long . The house is about 100 feet/30 meters to the right of the base of the tower and approx 6 meters higher than the base of the mast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

<---This picture taken on the left hand side of the house  shows, the antenna pointed long path to USA, Short path Europe would have the antennas firing over the house.

 

STATION

HF

Yaesu       - FT1000 MP mk5 (in service May 2001)

 

Kenwood - TS930s Transceiver  (went into service Oct '82)

                 - TL922   Linear         (went into service Oct '82)

Icom         - IC720A (standby use only)

 

VHF

Yaesu       - FT1500

 

Antennas

2 meters      ringo 

80 Meters    inverted vee dipole    35 meters 

40 Meters    2 element  yagi - 40 Meters (135 feet)

20 Meters    3 element  yagi - 37 merts   (125 feet)

                  

 

I was first licenced in 1967 at the age of 17 with the call VK3AYT. My first transmitter was the Yaesu  Musen Fl200b and for a short time I used an HA225 Lafayette receiver. I was not unusual for the receiver to have been 40-60 kc's off frequency when i went back to receive. Shortly after, we updated to the FR100B also by Yaesu. My beam was a 2 element cubical quad on a 12 foot wooden boom. Although I have used yagi beam antennas over the years, I guess I still consider the Quad the best. 

 

In 1974 I obtained vk3vy and on moving to Queensland in 1987 obtained VK4BR.

 

In the mid 70's I used a TS520 and Fl2000 linears.

 

I originally bought the Kenwood TS930S Transceiver in 1982, when I lived in Melbourne and operated under the call VK3VY, a call I still retain.

 

During the past 4 years the TS930S has began to show its age and the reliability has fallen with an increasing failure rate and repair bill. During April 2001, it failed again and although fixed, will be de-commissioned as the main station as I have decided to upgrade to the Ft1000 MP  MK5.

 

Finally a picture of the tower on the ground before it was raised. After the tower was lowered from it previous home, it was taken apart in 20 foot sections for transport to my location then reassembled as a continuous 120 foot tower layed out on the ground. It took 2 cranes to lift it into position. The tower was lifted 10-12 feet of the ground then the antennas placed on it.