K2VXV (Joe)
K2VXV, The Northern Half of The Bookends, went off the air on January 7, 2008 when an unexpected flash over on the feed line caused the center support rope to catch fire and burn, causing his antenna to come down. If anyone knows about Western New York winters, this was the worst time for this to happen. Nothing could be done to erect a new antenna until the season changed.
When spring arrived there was the yearly outdoor chores that required attention, and thoughts about getting up a new antenna faded. This continued through the summer and well into fall, when in late October, a bucket truck was brought in and used to run a new support rope to the top of the 60 foot utility pole, which supports the center of the inverted-V antenna system. On October 17, 2008, a new inverted-V center feed zepp cut for 80 meters, using 600 ohm open wire feeders with four inch spacers, was raised to the top of the pole. The Northern Half of the Bookends was now operational once again.
W2KBW (Tom)
W2KBW, The Southern Half of The Bookends, left the airways toward the end of 2007. After realizing that most of the AM conversations heard on the bands were repeats of QSO's that took place days, months, and years ago, his interest in AM was diminished greatly.
How many times can one ask that burning question, "How does my audio sound now?"
How many times can you listen to "this is the 500 foot long wire, now this is the 900 foot long wire".
How many times can you listen to someone describe the attributes of their Class E transmitter? (By the way, here at the Bookend Home Office, a Class E solid state rig does not sound any better than a well modulated tube transmitter.)
How many times can you listen to an AM net, composed of many stations, all repeating the same thing they said the week before.
With this in mind, it is easy to understand why W2KBW sold his two AM transmitters, the Collins 20VX and the home brew 4-1000 rig. With the state of AM being what it is these days, there no longer was a need for these transmitters at his station. The only equipment that remains, is the Icom 756 transceiver and the Viewstar amplifier.
On October 25, 2008 The Buffalo Kilowatt Bookends, together on one frequency, returned to the airways for the first time since March 11, 2007. Their future AM activity will be determined as the spirit moves them. Stay tuned!