Jerry Borger’s Antenna Removal

Members of the Flint Hills Amateur Radio Club (FHARC) removed Jerry Borger’s Antenna Mast
written by: Wayne Schlueter KDØWAT

Jerry Borger’s ham radio antenna mast had been up long before I became a ham, maybe even before I was born in 1952. The mast was a typical three tube design in ten-foot sections with a top off height of forty feet. On top was a 10meter beam controlled with a rotor and a smaller 2-meter antenna located six inches from the rear of the house and secured in a block of concrete.

Jerry’s wife, Carol didn’t know how it went up nor did we have any members that remembered when it went up. But removing the mast and antennas safely was the question before any work was performed. We needed to get up there some how to remove the antennas and rotor, but the guys were an undetermined age or a condition that could give you a nasty ride down and rusted bolts could be a bear to remove or break loose and drive out.

We were first hoping for a ‘redneck’ method that didn’t cost the club anything. Trees however were a burden and needed to be trimmed back if the antenna mast was to be removed by laying down.

In this method a couple of lines would be required to lay up over the house to let the mast down onto the back yard safely. No telling what would have happened if we just let it fall into the back yard or what damage we would have been responsible to the house or injury to our own club members.

So, it began! On a nice warm day, March 2nd, with Tom Grist (KEØKQP), Larry Hastings (AAØLH), Wayne Schlueter (KDØWAT) and John Lucas (KØJDL) we decided to finally get down to business to remove the antennas and mast.

Club member John Lucas had an antique bucket truck which we decided to back into the back yard and trim the trees back a bit so John could erect the bucket boom to remove the antennas and mast. It took John a couple of minutes to back his truck in without damaging the chain-link fence, but John was very successful and within ten minutes of back and forth maneuvers parked the truck at the proper location to place the boom where he needed.

Next John took his trusty chain saw, hopped into the bucket and was cutting down some of the tree limbs that were over hanging to clear the boom. Wayne Schlueter, Larry Hastings, and Tom Grist busied themselves by removing the limbs and putting them into a pile behind the bucket truck.

The process went smoothly and within an hour we were ready to attempt to get the bucket high enough to take the antennas off the mast.

Unfortunately, the boom/bucket wouldn’t reach the highest antenna, so a tower climb was our next consideration.

Tom thought he could get up the tower by climbing it but after reaching nearly to the top decided it wasn’t for him and carefully climbed back down. Can’t blame him one bit.

After careful consideration, John decided to put on his safety harness and climb the tower. John reached the top of the mast and successfully removed the hardware bolting the ten-meter beam antenna and lowered it to the ground. The antenna was rather heavy, and I was amazed how well John removed it without any damage.

We decided to hold off from removing the mast until the following week on March 9th, when we had more help from the club and a gin pole. So, with Bill Ecton (ADØCW), Zack Wilkerson (KØDVY), Dennis Gaskill (KC0IFQ), Bern Meyer (KC4CRH), Wayne Schlueter and of course John Lucas we proceeded to take the mast down.

The brush pile was cut up by Wayne using his trusty electric chain saw into smaller pieces and were placed onto a tarp that Wayne brought. Then the pile was bundled together and loaded onto a trailer that Zack Wilkerson brought. The bundle made it easier to load and transport on the trailer.

Bern Meyer brought his gin pole which basically is a pole that attaches onto the section below that which you are removing and reaches up along the outside of the mast of what you are taking down. It has a pulley at the top that you use to lower each section down. This worked really well and John was able to remove each section before noon working from the bucket truck.

All that was left of the tower mast was a ten-foot section buried into five feet of concrete that was five feet above the ground. Carol said that was fine and she would use that portion for something.

Carol was very happy the tower and antennas were removed and donated the components to the club which we were happy to acquire and possibly use for our Echo-Link project. Stay tuned for our story to erect the mast for that. It was a great opportunity to be out there to help out where I could and watch the action. Thanks to all the members that took the time to work this issue for Carol and I’m sure Jerry was watching as well.