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W1DYJ's Station in Harpswell, ME
FN 43 xs 91 pj
W 70° 0.16'  N 43° 45.36'

Reviewed: 16 July 2021

We purchased a second home in Harpswell, Maine in 2008.  I started building a new station.
As I enjoy woodworking as well as Ham Radio, using my woodworking skills I turned a small bedroom into my combination ham shack, small workshop, and office.

BUT, A change in plans...
We decided in 2019 that having two houses was a PITN.  We decided to "rightsize" to one house.  We decided that mid-coast Maine (i.e. Harpswell, etc.) was our target location.  We started looking.  Then COVID-19 hit.  This reduced the available inventory of available houses.  After over a year of fruitless searching, we decided to sell this wonderful place, with the hope that we would find a new place soon.  So now the effort is to dismantle the antennas!

July 2021: House sold


Phase — 1 2/440 FM (completed)
          
> 2M and 70CM FM: with an FT-8800 (now a TM-V71A -- the 8800 is in the Audi)

          > Comet GP-9N at peak of roof (28')

Phase 2 — Low HF (completed)
          
> Added a "new to me" TS450SAT

          > Built a homebrew 80-40-20 fan dipole, center at 18' (too low!)
          > Converted the shack closet to a small workshop
          > January 2013: replaced TS450SAT with TS590S


Phase 3 — Add 40M/15M Vertical / Add 6M / Improve HF (completed)

          > June 2013: added a InnovAntenna 3 element 50MHz LFA Yagi to "play around" with 6M,
                 on an 18' mast off the northern corner of the house
          > April 2014: added a homebrew 40/15M vertical with 4 elevated radials
          > July 2014: move the 6M 3-el LFA to a rotatable mast 28' above the roof

          > October 2014: convert 80/40/20 Fan Dipole to 80/20/10 Fan Dipole

          > March 2016: convert 80/20/10 Fan Dipole to 80/30/20/10 Fan Dipole on 34' mast

                + Replaced 2/440 Comet with Diamond X50NA at top of mast

                + (Sept 2017) Add loading coils to 80M portion, making it 80M / 160M

          > Sept 2017: add traps and "tail" to add 160 to 80M portion of fan dipole

 

Phase 4 —  Dismantle the antennas

          > 22 May 2021: Dismantle the 6M Yagi.  BAD timing -- just as summer eSkip was starting.
          > 18 June 2021: Dismantle 40m/15m vertical.
          >  5 July 2021: Dismantle Mast holding 160/80/30/20/10/fan dipole plus 2/44 stick.

          


Antennas at end of Phase 3:
160M/80M//30/20M/10M Quintuple Fan Dipole at 10M height.
17M/12M Whatever works better at the time!
40M/15M Homebrew elevated 40M 1/4 lambda vertical with 4 elevated (@ 10') radials
6M InnovAntenna 3 element 50MHz LFA @ 28' 
2M / 70CM FM Diamond X50NA at 34'

 

Station Wiring
  
RF Wiring
  
Harpswell Station_Wiring.gif (57363 bytes)
  
Harpswell RF Wiring.gif (53847 bytes)
  

 

Phase 3 — 2013-2017
Add a 3-el 6M Yagi and a 1/4 lambda 40M vertical
Improve HF Dipoles

40M/15M Vertical
Ready to raise With Raising Lever Ready to Use
40M_Vert-Down.jpg (467410 bytes) 40M_Vert-Lever.jpg (409025 bytes) 40M_Vert1.jpg (221841 bytes)

6M Yagi
Mounted on rotating mast and ready to raise Pointed West Pointed North
6M_Ready-to-raise.jpg (315163 bytes) 6M_Pointed-West.jpg (166489 bytes) 6M_Pointed-North.jpg (153220 bytes)

Shack

Updated Fan Dipole

Polyphasers

Harpswell-Rigs_2016-10.jpg (176193 bytes)
Heil Goldline
Logging         Pwr Sply         Coax Sw's
MFJ891swr   VHFspkr   TM-V71
                                           SX400swr

     TS-590     HFspkr     VHFrotator  
FanDipole_2016-07.jpg (159434 bytes)
(with 2/440 at top)
160/80 is a loaded dipole
30/20/10 are separate dipoles
Polyphasers_2014-05.jpg (254625 bytes)

 

Phase 2 — 2011-2013
Add an 80/40/20 Fan Dipole (now 80/20/10) and a TS-450SAT (now TS-590S) to study Low-HF at the site.
The Shack
Coax Switches
Logging Laptop        Rigs        Power Supply               
                                                        "Office" Laptop

The Rigs
Heil Mic on Boom
       Speaker                                                          
   TM-271     SWR (SX40C)     HP-12C         
    HF SWR (MFJ-891)     TS-590S        Power Supply

Harpswell_Shack_2013-01.jpg (525555 bytes)

Harpswell_Rigs_2013-01.jpg (570254 bytes)

The desk was purchased.  The shelves are homebrew.

"Workshop" closed up "Workshop" open
ClosetClosed_2011-07.jpg (231931 bytes) ClosetOpen_2011-07.jpg (305041 bytes)

The bedroom closet was converted into storage shelves on the right and left, tool storage in the center top, and a small pull-down workbench in the center bottom.

80/40/20M Fan Dipole
(Center Feedpoint)
Note: this is now higher, and on 80/30/20/10
Polyphasers Cables through wall

Fan_Dipole_2011-1018.jpg (331781 bytes)

Polyphasers_2011-07.jpg (871968 bytes) Cablesinput_2011-07.jpg (421717 bytes)

 

Phase 1 — 2008-2011
Set up the new shack for VHF/UHF Repeater use.
The Shack
Logging Laptop         Rig      HB Power Supply
The Rig
Logging Laptop      HP12C      FT-8800       HP200LX
Phase1-1.jpg (119569 bytes) Phase1-2.jpg (145705 bytes)

 
GP-9N — 2M/70cm Polyphaser Lightening Protection Cables coming through wall into shack
GP-9N.jpg (253779 bytes) LighteningProtect.jpg (207812 bytes) WallOutlet.jpg (99884 bytes)