MARCA - Motorola Amateur Radio

Pinal Peak ARA Work Day II
October 11, 2003

Site Coordinator:  Erv Heimbuck K0OTZ (AZ Repeater Association)

MARCA has a digipeater on top and looking to put a APRS repeater on top.
MARCA has four volunteers to help ARA - Pat Stautberg WA7ZQK, Mark Rennebaum KC7KMP, Joe Beckman N7RQD and Paul Bennett KD7KDO.
ARA has four volunteers - Dennis Mills WA7ZZT, Erv Heimbuck K0OTZ, Lance Halle KW7LH and John Braden K7LKL.

Mission:
-- Install new battery for the winter.
-- Lower the triax tower.
-- Remove MARCA antenna, mounting brackets and directional antennas.
-- Disassemble triax and mounting plate.
-- Assemble new ARA antennas.
-- Mount new brackets, top stays and UHF and VHF antennas.
-- Mount connnectors on both ends of superflex for MARCA antennas.
-- Mount bracket and antennas for MARCA digipeater and future APRS station.
-- Check out station operation.


I meet Joe at 5:00 AM.  We arrive on top at 9:00 AM.


Unpacking the new ARA attennas and mounting brackets.


MARCA digipeater station.


Base of tower and east panel.  Grounding kits at panel and at base of tower.


Rope attached for lowering the triax tower.


Tower is down.


Disassembing the triax tower.


 New ARA antennas, brackets and hardware.


Dennis and Erv climbing the tower - 11:30 AM.


Sundown.  Wrapping things up.


MARCA dual bander and directional antenna to White Tanks.


ARA UHF and VHF pair installed on top, MARCA below.


Looking up.  


Checking out the stations.

The weather was beautiful all day on Pinal (65F and clear skies except for a few threatening clouds around 2:30PM).  

We headed down the mountain at 6:00 PM and home by 9:00 PM.  Mark lost his cell phone somewhere on the mountain.  

Erv and I both did not expect to be climb the tower this morning when we woke up, but all in all we accomplished a good deal of progress this weekend thanks to everyones help.  Special thanks to Dennis for helping Paul with the MARCA antenna.

The remaining work includes installing another ARA antenna, swapping out the MARCA repeater with a new ARA radio, installing the MARCA APRS radio/controller, installing an ice bridge between the panel and the tower, and installing a new roof on the building.  Enough fun to fill another work day at Pinal.

Report by Paul Bennett KD7KDO.
back to Paul's MARCA webpage
back to Bennetts webpage
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