Sunday, June 14, 2020

There may be more than RF on your antenna!


Yesterday late afternoon I had a chance to sit down and put my feet up on the patio. I was checking out the new QST on my Ipad with the sun coming in and out from the clouds. From my position, I have a clear view of my Endfed wire. As I was gazing at my Endfed and the nice clear sky something on my Endfed antenna caught my eye there was movement on the antenna!
As I got closer my antenna was very busy with black ants going back and forth on the antenna. I was shocked by the amount of activity the tree that supports my antenna does have lots of ants. I was curious where they were going and what all the excitement was about. The opposite end of the antenna is terminated at my shed. I saw them coming down the support pole, along the roof of my shed then onto a maple tree branch that was just touching the peak of my shed roof. Not sure what they were after but whatever it was it seemed it was worth the trip.
Meet and greet 
I did notice when ants met who were travelling in opposite directions they seemed to greet each other. After some reading (ants are fascinating) it was not so much of a greeting but more a checking each other out to see if they were from the same colony.......if not it would be a fight to the death! Sometimes there is more than just RF and SWR floating around on your antenna.

8 comments:

John AE5X said...

So that's what they mean by 'parasitic elements'!
73 - John

VE9KK said...

Hmmmmmmm...........

Dick said...

Be grateful squirrels aren't up there doing acrobatics. Do you have cut wood in the shed? 73 de dick F8wbd

Paul Stam PAØK said...

Hi Mike, great shot. I got spiders in my end fed coil. Or dragonflies on the wire. 73 Paul

PE4BAS, Bas said...

Hello Mike, a small bird visits my antennas every day. Never been able to have a good photo of it. It's so small I don't even know what species it is exactly. 73, Bas

VE9KK said...

Good morning Dick and very nice to hear from you, I hope you are doing well during this time, we yes now that you have mentioned it ants are not a bad thing after all.
73,
Mike
VE9KK

VE9KK said...

Good morning Paul, well this really is the first time I actually sat and had a close look at the antenna who knows what else has been up and down it.
73,
Mike
VE9KK

VE9KK said...

Hello Bas nice to hear from you, I have been very much enjoying reading about your 4m-6m beam build. We have birds here too, but they seem to like sitting in the tree that the Endfed is attached to and pooping all over my deck, generator and table.
73,
Mike
VE9KK