Hi Kevin, Sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations, are you using pulleys and a counterweight as part of your antenna's support "system"?
A "fused" counterweight that is allowed to disconnect from the hoist line also works well as a protective device should a tall tree fall across an antenna. I use #14 Flexweave for wire antennas, tough as old boots. 73, Geoff GM4ESD Kevin Rock wrote on Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 4:57 AM > Good Evening, > I think winter has passed for the moment. The last two days have been > almost like spring! But, remember, spring in Oregon can last from > February until August :) According to the forecast temperatures will get > into the 50s with sunny days over the next week. Quite a change from only > a few days ago. Early in the week it was 33 degrees and pouring. That > melted much of the snow and gave me a chance to fix my antennas. Both of > them were broken when I started the repair work because there had been a > windstorm which broke the second one. The higher of the two had been > broken by a snow loaded branch falling through it which broke the feedline > at the center insulator almost a month ago. The same branch continued > downward through the second antenna but did not break it; it only broke > the center guy line and lowered the antenna by thirty feet. That was the > antenna I used for last week's nets. However, it too was broken in the > windstorm. > With winds of thirty miles an hour and a steady downpour I got the > extension cord plugged into the GFI outlet and put on some rubber gloves. > I grabbed a utility knife, solder, my trusty Weller gun, a set of linemans > pliers, and a wire stripper. I took along some wirenuts but did not know > whether they would work; they did not. So I was up on the roof rapidly > getting soaked clear through. Since I was going to be soaked one way or > the other I stayed until the job was done. The solder flowed medium well > in the cold and wet and the joints were shiny. I know I could do a better > job but under the circumstances I did alright. Plus antennas work better > when repaired under inclement conditions. That being said I should be > able to work EME at 5 watts with my wire antenna! > The other antenna was not as difficult to repair but in relieving it of > the branch I found the center guy rope had parted. When it came free the > weight of the line pulled the broken end through the tree and back down > again. I'll wait for dry, windfree weather to shoot that line back in > place. As it is the antenna got spliced with wire nuts but it is still a > low doublet instead of a high inverted V. I was too soaked to fight with > that one anymore. However, the upper inverted V was always the one with > the best signal and the least noise. Hopefully it will work well on > tomorrow's net. Yes net, not nets. I have decided to cease running the > 40 meter net until later into the season. When propagation comes back > with the lengthening days I will reinstate that net and hold it at an > appropriate time. Until then we can just take a little break from the > frustration. _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
