Date
1 - 17 of 17
Looking for Wire Antenna Suggestions
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Tim N9PUZ
One antenna here is an end fed wire. The feed point is around 50 ft but due to time constraints when it went up last Fall the far end slopes to around 15 ft and the support rope is tied off at about 10 ft in a large pine tree. At the 10 feet point the tree is thick enough it does not sway in the wind.
I would like to raise the far end of the antenna but of course the higher you go in the pine tree the more it sways when the wind blows. The wind blows often here in central Illinois! Looking for low maintenance suggestions for adding a shock absorber of some sort in the rope that supports the far and. It isn't too practical to run the rope through a pulley and provide a weight to keep it taught but that isn't 100% out either. Has anyone had success adding a spring system, heavy duty bungee cord type absorber, or something else? Happy New Year everyone! 73, Tim N9PUZ
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Brian Crittendon
Some rope will have some stretch to it. If you do it this way the rope should be at lest 100 feet long. It's what I do here. Mark/WQ8S
On Sunday, December 30, 2018, 12:08:02 PM EST, Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@...> wrote:
One antenna here is an end fed wire. The feed point is around 50 ft but due to time constraints when it went up last Fall the far end slopes to around 15 ft and the support rope is tied off at about 10 ft in a large pine tree. At the 10 feet point the tree is thick enough it does not sway in the wind. I would like to raise the far end of the antenna but of course the higher you go in the pine tree the more it sways when the wind blows. The wind blows often here in central Illinois! Looking for low maintenance suggestions for adding a shock absorber of some sort in the rope that supports the far and. It isn't too practical to run the rope through a pulley and provide a weight to keep it taught but that isn't 100% out either. Has anyone had success adding a spring system, heavy duty bungee cord type absorber, or something else? Happy New Year everyone! 73, Tim N9PUZ
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Tie a couple of loops in the rope and stretch a bungie cord between them. Works great on dock lines also. Mike kd5rjz
On Sun, Dec 30, 2018, 11:08 AM Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@... wrote: One antenna here is an end fed wire. The feed point is around 50 ft but
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tom martin <tecnician@...>
I have used a heavy duty spring attached to the tree with an eye bolt. The spring I used was from the hood of a car. Got it at a salvage yard not sure if cars have hood springs any more. If not a trip to the hardware store to find one but be sure you get a good heavy one as you will find a great deal of tension on the supporting rope. I used parachute cord which I bought at a surplus store it stood up well to the UV and the cold winters I had in Nebraska.
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Tom
On Dec 30, 2018, at 11:08 AM, Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@gmail.com> wrote:
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David Brunner
Howdy Tim,
If it were me, I'd probably try the Pulley and Bucket of Rocks method. 73 and Happy New Year to all. David KE0AZ
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Tim N9PUZ
Not practical here. I don't have enough room to put that much rope
at the end of the wire.
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Thanks!
On 12/30/2018 11:28 AM, Brian
Crittendon via Groups.Io wrote:
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Tim N9PUZ
Interesting idea. Any idea if there's a type of bungee that holds up well in the UV, sunlight, etc.? My only experience is with the cheap ones from Harbor Freight, etc.
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Tim N9PUZ
On 12/30/2018 11:35 AM, Mike D wrote:
Tie a couple of loops in the rope and stretch a bungie cord between them. Works great on dock lines also.
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Hello Tim You should be able to find better Bungee cords at a hardware/ farm store or a truck stop. They will still disentagrate in the sun but will make it longer than Harbor freight. I use old trampoline springs. They work well. 72 Johnny AC0BQ
On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 11:46 AM Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@...> wrote: Interesting idea. Any idea if there's a type of bungee that holds up --
Check out the 4SQRP website at 4sqrp.com
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Dave Benson
Tim- I'm using a heavy-duty bungee- got it from a big-box home improvement place. The version I got has carabiners on both ends so it can't unhook. It's 4 feet long and rated for 50% elongation- I think it ran about $5. I've got a fair length of support line threaded through tree branches. I replaced my original Kevlar support line with 3/32" coated wire cable and appropriate fittings. That way, the branches should give way rather than abrading the the woven line through. That's my hope, anyway. 73- Dave, K1SWL
On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 12:08 PM Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@...> wrote: One antenna here is an end fed wire. The feed point is around 50 ft but
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KD5ALD
:) Hello :) I use tarred nylon twine with my radiating wire underneath ! In a fashion so that the nylon can stretch but my wire won't :) I have a squirrel problem squirrels just can't stand antenna support lines ! Least if they cut mine they will get tar on their teeth :) My antenna is a 135 foot or so dipole fed wit ballanced line ! My tunner can tune out a little stretch anyhow ! I like to use copperweld if I can get it ! 73 72 88 and all :)
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Tim, I don't know how high you want to go but in Ecuador I used a 2 inch and a 1.5 inch,10 foot PVC pipe bolted together to make a mast. The spring in the PVC was enough to keep everything normal in the wind. I anchored the base on a fence post with adj hose clamps. I put a screw in eye bolt in the center of the pipe cap on the top to run the rope through and tied the rope to the fence post. I used one mast at each end of the dipole and the center feed point was at the top of a 11 meter bamboo pole. Dr. Don W4BWS
God Bless All
On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 12:44 PM Tim McDonough N9PUZ <tim.n9puz@...> wrote:
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Check out these Gate Closing Springs they sell at Lowes Home Improvement Tim! They cost only $5.67 each and look like they'd do the job well. I suggest using one on both ends if your using it on a really long dipole like a doublet, zepp, or double-extended zepp.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-12-in-Zinc-Gate-Extension-Spring/3115909 Very 73, Cliff, KU4GW
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KD5ALD
Hello :) I bet a good spring or a bungee cord or strap would work great too :) If it were mine I would likely give it a good coat of tar :) 73 72 :)
On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 9:03 PM Cliff Fox (KU4GW) <cliffku4gw@...> wrote: Check out these Gate Closing Springs they sell at Lowes Home Improvement Tim! They cost only $5.67 each and look like they'd do the job well. I suggest using one on both ends if your using it on a really long dipole like a doublet, zepp, or double-extended zepp.
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Frank Perkins <N6CES.r@...>
I looked at the Lowe's link and noticed in the spring's product specifications that it weighs 9 pounds. Might work well if one end of it was fastened to the support pole or tree and other end to the rope. Nine pounds in mid-air = sag. :-) Old time screen door spring would be good too. I think the best idea proposed was to make 2 loops in the rope (my guess is about 3' apart) and put two 2' bungee cords between the 2 loops (put a tie wrap across each bungee hook to keep rope captured). Put one of these gizmoes in each dipole leg's rope and hoist it up. After weather weakens the bungee and they stretch out to the loops, time to put in new bungees. Frank
On Sun, Dec 30, 2018, 8:56 PM KD5ALD <73deKD5ALD@... wrote:
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Tim N9PUZ
Thank you everyone who replied with suggestions. I have several workable options to consider now.
73 and Happy New Year! Tim N9PUZ
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Some interesting suggestions - my solution was pretty simple. When I lived in the Country outside Peoria, I put a 40 meter Dipole up about 40 feet. I came outside the House with RG58. There was 80' of Coax and the Dipole being held up by Sears 110# Test Polyester Twine with a 14" Crescent Wrench on each end of the Dipole that was just thrown over a Tree Limb. The Trees whipped around pretty good. The Crescents moved up and down a few feet at times, as did the Center Insulator. The biggest problems, it took a few tries to be able to launch the wrench just right, and then having to take that great Antenna down to move to a small city lot in Bloomington. There was no noticeable wear on the Polyester Cord, or the Coax (still in use 22 years late). The only concern was the wrench doing a couple wraps around the Limb and becoming captive. Please advise what you wind up using.
GL es 73 de KCOIH/WD9GKA LaSalle
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Ronald Morrison
I used screen door springs on each end of an 80m dipole. I had to put two springs in parallel to handle the weight. The screen door springs stretch quite a bit, so they worked perfectly to counter the movement of the two trees. They last for years when given a coat of exterior grade paint. I stretched them a little before painting to ensure a complete coating.
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Ron, K5DUZ --------------------------------------------
On Sun, 12/30/18, Frank Perkins <N6CES.r@gmail.com> wrote:
Subject: Re: [4SQRP] Looking for Wire Antenna Suggestions To: main@4sqrp.groups.io Date: Sunday, December 30, 2018, 11:22 PM I looked at the Lowe's link and noticed in the spring's product specifications that it weighs 9 pounds.Might work well if one end of it was fastened to the support pole or tree and other end to the rope. Nine pounds in mid-air = sag. :-)Old time screen door spring would be good too.I think the best idea proposed was to make 2 loops in the rope (my guess is about 3' apart) and put two 2' bungee cords between the 2 loops (put a tie wrap across each bungee hook to keep rope captured). Put one of these gizmoes in each dipole leg's rope and hoist it up.After weather weakens the bungee and they stretch out to the loops, time to put in new bungees.Frank On Sun, Dec 30, 2018, 8:56 PM KD5ALD <73deKD5ALD@gmail.com wrote: Hello :)I bet a good spring or a bungee cord or strap would work great too :)If it were mine I would likely give it a good coat of tar :)73 72 :) On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 9:03 PM Cliff Fox (KU4GW) <cliffku4gw@gmail.com> wrote: Check out these Gate Closing Springs they sell at Lowes Home Improvement Tim! They cost only $5.67 each and look like they'd do the job well. I suggest using one on both ends if your using it on a really long dipole like a doublet, zepp, or double-extended zepp. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-12-in-Zinc-Gate-Extension-Spring/3115909 Very 73, Cliff, KU4GW
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