Stand back! We are going to attempt the horizontal loop

I learned how to drive the Unimog this weekend *grins*

This Sunday just after checking in on the morning net Aaren and I got to thinking that we should get his horizontal loop up before the snow flies... and with summer slipping through our fingers, we got the bright idea that we should do it *right now*.

I'm sure we did at least half of the things on the list of "Things *not* to do when putting up a horizontal loop antenna" but I'd like to think we learned a few things along the way... and we had some fun.

Aaren on the Mog, next to his existing tower

Now two of the corners of the loop are going to be held up by his antenna tower, and his new wooden mast... the other two corners are going to be held up by willow trees.  That's the part where I come in, he let me back and forth the Mog all over the yard topark it at the base of the willow tree, as a reward for what was to follow...

We used a ladder *on top* of the Mog to get half way up the 40 foot height he was hoping to get his loop up to... I know right, safety first. Shhhh! we wont talk about the clippers and chainsaw I used just so that I could get up *into* the tree ;)

The Unimog ladder extension

 The first tree we did was tough, there was a 'Y' section that I needed to be standing in, but it didn't really have any branches to get up to it. I don't honestly know how I got up there (or down), only that it involved some scootching, and as I sat there with my shin wedged between the bark I distinctly remember thinking

"Yeap, definitely should've put on pants!"

After getting the pulley attached, and the rope that would pull the loop tight, we pulled it up and down and through a few times just to make sure the pulley worked get everything where it should have been.

The second tree was much quicker, other than the rope toss which we realized should have gone *over* the G5-RV... and you thought we were almost done ;)

Nope, those aren't my shoes either... figured big shoes were safer than flip flops ;)

"You would have some sexy legs if it weren't for all those scars!" ~Mich

It was pretty cool when we were done, although unfortunately next to impossible to get a decent picture of... I have a little bit of tree rash to show for it, and I had bark in places that no normal human being should have bark... Ever. But it just goes to show... I still got it *snaps*