Robert Swanson's photos with the keyword: antenna

The antenna units at the Very Large Array are managed on railroad tracks. You can see one of the locomotives in this photo. Image processed with GIMP. The VLA is located near Socorro, New Mexico: public.nrao.edu/visit/very-large-array

Near Soccoro, New Mexico. This is the Very Large Array (VLA), an amazing set of radio telescopes. We were fortunate that they were offering an "open house" that day, so we were able to view the computers, etc in the control area, as well as walk around some of these awesome structures. They are managed from a railway specially constructed in the desert. Image processed with GIMP. VLA is near Socorro, New Mexico: public.nrao.edu/visit/very-large-array

It was in the winter, and we could not set up our Buddipole in the back yard. Some local amateur radio peopole (HAMS) wanted to test the 6 meter band, something we had never tried. We had not unpacked the Buddipole since 2012, but decided to unpack it. This is the waiting setup, before we moved the dipole closer to our living room window. We DID receive from the other hams on 6 meter, but could not transmit. Some progress made! (If you look carefully at our living room, you will see some of the images that I've shared on Ipernity: solar eclipse photos, Arches National Park photos, very large teddy bears (on right), etc.) Image taken with phone and processed with GIMP.

In this photo, the tower is now up. In addition to the horizontal elements, the tower was constructed with a pulley system. An additional horizontal wire dipole is being raised using that pulley. This antenna system was used during the Field Day (28 June 2025) for many contacts. Our amateur radio (HAM) club is closely involved with the city Public Safety organization. Events like this are practice for handling potential natural disasters. WØZWY, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Image taken with the phone and processed with GIMP.

Our amateur radio club (HAMS) took part in the official Field Day 28 June 2025. One of the members has built a tower that can be towed behind a vehicle. WØZWY, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Erecting the tower is specialized work, so we just stood aside, unless asked for help. The team here has done this several times over the years. You can see the antenna arms pre-positioned on the ground, before being mounted on the rotator at the top. Image taken with phone and processed with GIMP.