After trying to install a $29 MFJ-918 balun, I found that the coax connector had been mounted off center slightly in its 3/4" hole. This prevented the hood on my pl-259 from tightening down all the way, as it needed to screw down inside the hole at least a couple of turns to be fully tightened.
Having just spent the last two nights sharpening and re-pointing a Spyderco knife at my radio bench, I thought I'd put it to use opening up the hole in the balun. I traced around the connector hood with a pen to show me how much material needed to be carved out, as seen in the photo below.
As you can see by the nice "curl' of PVC coming off after a light pass with the knife, this was going to work out in a jiffy. With a MORE POWER mentality, I decided "I'll just cut deeper and get it all in one pass..." Note the red "drip" on the balun? lol read on...
Yes, that deep pass with the just sharpened knife slipped out of the hole and ran right across my thumb. I looked right away and saw something white"ish" right at the bottom of the cut before the whole thing filled with blood that started to go everywhere. I stuck it under the sink and yelled for the wife to bring a band aid. She showed up, took one look and said "get in the car..." Damn, I hate when she says that after I ask for a simple band aid.
Luckily the ER wasn't busy as it was almost midnight, and they got me right into a room. There was only one Dr. on duty, so I still had to wait about 45 minutes, in which time the bleeding had stopped and I found a bonus...
What are the odds of having the latest issue of QST sitting there waiting for you right next to your ER bed?
Beautimus! BTW, the DR. complemented me on my sharpening skills, so I had that going for me too.
So seven stitches and a thumb brace later, I got home and went right back at the balun, cleaning out the hole with 3-4 light passes of the knife. The balun and my new dipole work better than I had hoped.
Alright, so it wasn't a $1000 balun. It was a $29 balun and an $971 senior moment. :drool:
Having just spent the last two nights sharpening and re-pointing a Spyderco knife at my radio bench, I thought I'd put it to use opening up the hole in the balun. I traced around the connector hood with a pen to show me how much material needed to be carved out, as seen in the photo below.
As you can see by the nice "curl' of PVC coming off after a light pass with the knife, this was going to work out in a jiffy. With a MORE POWER mentality, I decided "I'll just cut deeper and get it all in one pass..." Note the red "drip" on the balun? lol read on...
Yes, that deep pass with the just sharpened knife slipped out of the hole and ran right across my thumb. I looked right away and saw something white"ish" right at the bottom of the cut before the whole thing filled with blood that started to go everywhere. I stuck it under the sink and yelled for the wife to bring a band aid. She showed up, took one look and said "get in the car..." Damn, I hate when she says that after I ask for a simple band aid.
Luckily the ER wasn't busy as it was almost midnight, and they got me right into a room. There was only one Dr. on duty, so I still had to wait about 45 minutes, in which time the bleeding had stopped and I found a bonus...
What are the odds of having the latest issue of QST sitting there waiting for you right next to your ER bed?
Beautimus! BTW, the DR. complemented me on my sharpening skills, so I had that going for me too.
So seven stitches and a thumb brace later, I got home and went right back at the balun, cleaning out the hole with 3-4 light passes of the knife. The balun and my new dipole work better than I had hoped.
Alright, so it wasn't a $1000 balun. It was a $29 balun and an $971 senior moment. :drool:
