General Meeting – Ian Barton VK5AIB Power tilt over antenna mount

Ian Barton, (VK5AIB) in Adelaide, Australia has been licensed since 1977 and over the years has had an interest in RTTY including “Glass RTTY” & Packet radio. In 1992 he ceased all operations upon moving locations to a much smaller home which couldn’t accommodate his previous 50ft free standing tower and antennas. Back in about April 2023 he recommenced operations after chatting with Henry, WA2ROA about FT8. Ian uses an ICOM IC-7300 but this time with a Cushcraft R8 vertical antenna rather than the HyGain TH3 he had in his previous days. Due to “domestic pressure”(!!!) from his XYL, it was important to Ian that he be able to bring his antenna to ground quickly and by himself in the event of inclement weather. Ian will demonstrate his solution using videos and photos. Living with hurricanes and lighting in Florida, this may be very helpful to those of us using verticals in Florida. We also may learn a bit about life as a ham “down under”.