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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SOP FOR ANTENNA ERECTION AND TAKEDOWN.  DO
THAT AND YOU GO A LONG WAY TO KEEPING EVERYTHING COPACETIC.  FATIGUE
FATIGUE CAN THWART THE BEST LAID PLANS AND THE MOST EXPERIENCED HANDS.  IF
THE RESIDENT EXPERT ON ANTENNA SYSTEM SAFETY HAS SPENT THE WHOLE WEEKEND IN
THE 20 METER CW TENT, ON THE AIR, WITH NOTHING BUT A COUPLE OF CUPS OF
COFFEE IN HIS OR HER VEINS, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TRUST THAT PERSONS
JUDGMENT?  THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION S

TOPPLED TO ONE SIDE, CREATING A SCRAP ALUMINUM SCULPTURE.  THE PHRASES
NOBODY WAS HURT, I DIDNT SEE THAT COMING, AND IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT
THE TIME, WERE FLUNG ABOUT LIBERALLY.  THE THOUGHT THAT SOME LEVEL OF
INATTENTION ON MY OWN PART COULD HAVE LED TO THE SKEWERING OF ONE OR MORE
OF MY FELLOW HAMS LEFT ME SHAKEN TO MY VERY CORE.  THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO
GOOD REASON FOR THIS FIASCO TO HAVE HAPPENED, BUT THE BAD REASONS WERE ALL
THERE.  AN ACCIDENT LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN IN PLACES OTHER THAN A FIELD DAY
SITE.  TOO OFTEN MURPHY GETS THE BLAME WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.  IT IS OUR JOB
TO SEE THAT THINGS GO SMOOTHLY AT OUR WORKBENCHES AND SHACKS, AS WELL AS ON
FIELD DAY.  LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THESE LURKING DANGERS AND THE STEPS THAT
CAN BE TAKEN TO AVOID THEM.  INEXPERIENCE  WE WERE ALL BEGINNERS IN THIS
HOBBY AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.  WHEN I WAS FIRST LICENSED, THE FCC DID US
THE FAVOR OF CALLING US NOVICES SO THAT OTHER, MORE EXPERIENCED HAMS TENDED
TO LOOK OUT FOR US AND GUIDE US THROUGH THINGS.  CURRENT LICENSING
PRACTICES BLUR THE LINES SOMEWHAT.  YOU CAN BE A TECHNICIAN WITH 30 FIELD
DAYS UNDER YOUR BELT OR AN AMATEUR EXTRA CLASS LICENSEE SHOWING UP TO YOUR

FIELD DAY TEARDOWN KEEPING IT SAFE  DONT LET A GREAT FIELD DAY BE RUINED BY
ONE LAPSE OF GOOD JUDGMENT.  T. J. SKIP AREY, N2EI  IT WAS A TYPICAL ENDING
TO A GREAT FIELD DAY.  MANY CONTACTS WERE WORKED, FOOD WAS EATEN AND, OF
COURSE, A LOT OF FUN WAS HAD.  AFTER NEARLY 3 SOLID DAYS OF PREPARATION AND
OPERATION, IT WAS TIME TO BREAK DOWN THE FIELD DAY SITE AND HEAD HOME TO
POSTPONED HOUSEHOLD CHORES AND PREPARATION FOR THE COMING WORK WEEK NOT TO
MENTION A GOOD HOME COOKED MEAL AFTER DINING ON HOT DOGS AND BUG JUICE FOR
FAR TOO LONG.  HOLDING PRIDE OF PLACE AT OUR FIELD DAY SITE WAS A TWO
ELEMENT 40 METER BEAM SITTING 50 FEET HIGH ATOP A MILITARY SURPLUS AB 577/
GRC MAST.  IT LOOKED GREAT AND IT WORKED EVEN BETTER.  BUT AFTER 2059Z ON
SUNDAY, THE PLUGS WERE PULLED AND IT WAS TIME TO TAKE THINGS DOWN AND HEAD
FOR HOME.  GROUPS OF HAMS FORMED, SOMEWHAT INFORMALLY, AND TOOK ON VARIOUS
TASKS.  I FELL IN WITH THOSE WHO HAD CONGREGATED NEAR THE BIG BEAM.  WHAT
SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN ORDERLY PROCESS WAS THWARTED BY INEXPERIENCE, HASTE,
AND WORST OF ALL FATIGUE.  SOMEONE SUGGESTED WE START BY LOOSENING SOME OF
THE GUY WIRES.  THE MOMENT THOSE WORDS WERE UTTERED, ALARM BELLS SHOULD
HAVE SOUNDED IN EVERY HEAD, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE.  INSTEAD, UNDIRECTED
HANDS WENT IN UNEXPECTED DIRECTIONS AND ONE TOO MANY WIRES WENT FAR TOO
SLACK.  THE ANTENNA SYSTEM WOBBLED FOR A BRIEF MOMENT AND THEN SLOWLY
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