For 2011 Skyview is once again raffling off a high end Begali CW paddle! This year we are offering the nickel plated Begali Pearl Iambic key. The key also has gold plated posts and adjustment screws along with red finger pieces. To make this key one of a kind we had Piero and Bruna Begali etch there names in the top of the base. Also on the bottom of the base Piero Begali, i2RTF signed his name and callsign. This key is valued at approximately $370.00 depending on the euro exchange rate.

We will be offering tickets for this beautiful key at local hamfests and at the Dayton Hamvention. Donations go toward the Skyview remodeling fund. Your support will help Skyview maintain our clubhouse in first rate condition so that we can continue strong in the future to fulfill our mission to provide emergency communications, public service, and to bring new people into this fantastic hobby.

This is a story about a persistent groundhog. We have this shed outside the clubhouse that we use to store items such as our lawn mower and other “stuff” that doesn’t need to be stored in the club. Originally the floor was made of wood. Well, after some time we noticed a hole in the flooring. At first we thought it was the wood going bad from moisture. After some time we realized that it was actually an evil groundhog! He not only made one hole, he made lots of holes!
This is war:

We decided to cement the floor this time and see what the groundhog has to say about that! In comes the gravel and forms were put up. Our members worked VERY hard to set up and pour the new concrete. The job turned out great! Then a few days after we went up and there was dirt dug out all around the shed. It was that pesky groundhog again. He digged and he dagged and he dug some more! He tried his very best, only to run into more concrete. We fully expect to see him sometime in the future with a chain saw and a battering ram. He is one determined groundhog.

So goes it out here in the country. Little battles occur everyday with mother nature. That is where we could not get along without the help from our members. No one gets paid for all the hard work. They do it for the love of amateur radio. Many thanks to Dave, N3TIN and all that helped out with this project. You get no such thanks from the groundhog though.

To be continued…
Pictures courtesy Dan, K3ISO

As a club, we rely on donations from members and friends of Skyview. Fortunately and very unfortunately some of those donations come from silent key estates. Such was the case with the addition of our Hygain HyTower multi-band vertical antenna. John White, W3VFJ was a great benefactor to the club during his life and that continued after he became a silent key. When John,s wife called us and asked if we would want to take John’s HyTower down from his house we knew that we had just the place for this fine antenna at the club.

This was an older model of the classic Hygain vertical and is slightly different than the ones that are sold today. There was considerable rust on the tower that would need cleaned up. Other than some rust the antenna was in great condition.

We decided that the old repeater tower base would be a good place to mount the new antenna. The old concrete had heavy studs sticking up through and we still had the old base plate from the tower that was there prior to adapt to fit the new tower! After some hard work from Bill, W3RSR on cleaning up the rust and painting the sections the vertical was ready to be put up. We welded some stubs onto the old base plate for the insulators that would be needed to install the HyTower. Larry, AB3ER machined the tubing stubs to fit the insulators.

Rick K3RWN and others ran the ground radials after the tower was erected. It looks great! It is not uncommon for us to start a pileup into Europe at night with just a few CQs! The wide bandwidth and efficient design work very well.

Many thinks to all that helped get this antenna up and working. It is a great asset to Skyview. And the most thanks to our lost friend John, W3VFJ/SK whose gift will help Skyview be active for many years to come. Very best 73 OM

Last Update February 28, 2011