=  NOW 40 WPM  =
THOROUGHLY.  WHEN RAISING THE ANTENNA FOR THE FIRST TIME, I
NEGLECTED TO CONSIDER THAT MY TOWER HAS STAND OFFS THAT HOLD THE
COAX OUT FROM THE TOWER.  THE TOPMOST STANDOFF CROSSED WITH ONE OF
THE 10 METER ELEMENTS AS THE ANTENNA ROTATED INTO POSITION, AND BENT
HALF THE ELEMENT 90 DEGREES FROM THE OTHER HALF NOT IDEAL.  I MOVED
THE STANDOFFS TO THE BACK OF THE TOWER WHERE THEY WOULDNT MEET ANY
OF THE ELEMENTS, AND ALL HAS GONE WELL SINCE THEN.  WALDEK HAD A NEW
TUBE AT MY ORDERING AND SHIPPING FROM POLAND SINCE FEBRUARY 1, 2021,
THERE HAS BEEN NO DISTRIBUTOR OR THIS PRODUCT IN THE US, AND I
ORDERED MINE IN MARCH OF THAT SAME YEAR.  SO, A NEW ISSUE
IMMEDIATELY PRESENTED ORDERING EQUIPMENT FROM ABROAD.  OTHER HAMS I
TALKED TO HAD NOT HAD A PROBLEM, AS THE COMPANY UNTIL THEN HAD A
LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE WHO HANDLED US ORDERS.  HOWEVER, THE
MANUFACTURER, HAD TAKEN ORDERING IN HOUSE AND ESTABLISHED A PAYPAL
ACCOUNT.  THE ORDER WENT SMOOTHLY, BUT WITH THE COVID PANDEMIC, THE
SHIPMENT GOT DELAYED AT THE PORT FOR A WEEK.  IN 3 WEEKS, TWO LARGE
ORANGE CYLINDERS AND A BOX WERE DELIVERED TO MY DRIVEWAY.  WHILE I
HAD BEEN WAITING ON THE SHIPMENT, WALDEK, SP7GXP, FROM GXP ANTENNAS,
HAD SENT AHEAD THE DIRECTIONS MORE ON THIS LATER AND TOLD ME TO
REPORT ANY DAMAGE.  HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE PIPES WOULD BE PACKED
INSIDE OF EACH OTHER AND HE RECOMMENDED DOING AN INVENTORY ON
ARRIVAL TO CHECK INSIDE THE LARGER TUBES.  IN FACT, THEY WERE
LARGELY GROUPED BY ELEMENT, MAKING ASSEMBLY THAT MUCH EASIER LATER
SEE FIGURE 6.  ONE OF THE PACKING TUBES ARRIVED DAMAGED AND HAD BEEN
TAPED BACK TOGETHER SEE FIGURE 7.  AMAZINGLY, THE TUBING WAS FINE A
TESTAMENT TO THE PACKAGING TECHNIQUE AND THE QUALITY OF THE
ALUMINUM.  ORGANIZING FOR THE BUILD TWO NEW ISSUES AROSE AS I
APPROACHED PUTTING THE ANTENNA TOGETHER.  FIRST, ALL MEASUREMENTS
AND HARDWARE WERE IN METRIC UNITS.  I NEEDED A METRIC SOCKET SET,
OPEN/CLOSED END WRENCHES, METRIC T WRENCHES, AND A METRIC
MEASUREMENT TAPE.  THIS WAS NOT A MAJOR ISSUE FOR ME, AS I HAD MOST
OF THESE TOOLS.  ONCE I GOT USED TO IT, MANY THINGS BECOME MORE
INTUITIVE.  THE TUBING WAS OF SEVERAL LENGTHS, AND SO I MADE UP A
STORY STICK A LENGTH OF WOOD WITH MARKS AT THE SEVERAL LENGTHS,
ALLOWING QUICK IDENTIFICATION RATHER THAN WRESTLING WITH A TAPE THAT
DIDNT GO THE FULL LENGTH.  THE SECOND ISSUE, ONE THAT INITIALLY MADE
ME LAUGH OUT LOUD, WAS THAT THE FOUR PAGES OF DRAWINGS AND
INSTRUCTIONS WERE IN POLISH.  WHILE MOST OF THE TERMS, SUCH BOOM AND
MAST, WERE INTUITIVE, OTHERS WERE NOT.  I FOUND THAT I COULD USE MY
PHONES CAMERA AND GOOGLE TRANSLATE TO HOVER OVER TERMS AND TRANSLATE
THEM QUICKLY.  I SIMPLY ANNOTATED THE DRAWINGS WALDEK SENT, AND I
WAS OFF AND RUNNING.  I PUT THE BOOM TOGETHER FIRST, THEN SLID IT
INTO THE U BOLTS ON THE TILTPLATE.  FORTUNATELY, EVEN THOUGH THE
BOOM WAS DIMENSIONED IN METRIC, IT FIT JUST FINE IN THE IMPERIAL
DIMENSIONED U BOLT.  ONCE SNUGGED UP, IT WASNT GOING ANYWHERE, AND
HAS REMAINED STABLE SINCE, IN WINDS OVER 50 MPH.  YOU COULD DO THE
BUILD SEVERAL WAYS.  ONE COULD PUT ALL
=  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  =  QST DE W1AW  <