From: Ken <ksjjrl@maxnet.co.nz>
Date: Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 7:58 AM
Subject: [hex-beam] Stealth Hexing.
To: hex-beam@yahoogroups.com
First it should be acknowleged that the humble back yard rotary clothesline is a great blessing to the Hex beam Ham.
This posting is for those who now increasingly live in a QTH where there are restrictions on poles and aerials, sadly ever increasing.
First let it be known around the neighborhood that you have always been a bit of an inventer. Slightly excentric.
Next, build yourself a hex beam using extra heavy duty fibreglass spreaders with the elements made from strong stranded copper wire with plastic covering in a neutral grey colour. Four or five bands, thats your choice but more than one. The wire should be correct size for clothes pegs.
Now install it in the back yard at head height on a stout tubular metal pole so it turns freely in the wind. No feeders will be connected for a couple weeks. The plastic covered wire is essential to stop the copper staining the clothes which you and your wife will hang out on it to dry.
In our NZ culture almost every house has a clothes line looking similar to a Hex beam in the back yard.
Accumulate a few lighter nylon Y fronts and ladies Bras to hang on the thing later. Important they are light and synthetic.
Now comes the inventer bit; as your new clothes line will have been noticed by the nearest neighbors you could mention over the fence that the clothes often dont fully dry. (if all this is acconplished in the winter that part is more understandable) To this end now your inventerness comes to the fore as you purchase a Rotator and fit this so You can turn it about a bit to favour the breeze. Great conversation point. In conversation mention to the neighbors that the clothes line needs a little more height to get "in the breeze".
At this point a pride in country will go a long way as you will need a half wave mutiband vertical wire aerial fed with a small ferrite balun mounted in a fibreglass flagpole for listening to 20 through 10 mtrs to check when the bands are open. Install this in the front of the house and be very patriotic with the flag.
Now you find an engineer friend and between you build a hydraulic round pipe pole which will go up about 30 ft. It could be operated from your domestic water supply and a couple of solenoid valves. It should rest at the original head height. The original stout pipe holding up the hex will have done its job well. If all this is done during the construction of the flagpole no one will notice the extra activity out back.
The feeder is layed to the Hex beam now mounted on the hydraulic pole in place of the original head high stout pipe.
The washing can now go out to dry on the hex beam as before with a few of the nylon undergarments with them.
On listening about on the vertical aerial (which is used for low power transmit to any local contacts or easy ones) if it is noted the bands are opening then there is time to collect in the real washing, leaving the decoys in place, and hoist up the clothes line for a bit of fun on the bands till the opening is over or you are called for a meal in which moment you will open the release valve and down it comes again.
No one will know you arent just a mad inventer with a thing for underwear.
Very acceptable in our modern neighbourhood.
Ken
ZL3OZ
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