Re: Topband: cheap radial wire?

I had good luck with aluminum electric fence wire but the ph of your soil will determine the life of your field.  Bob KI0G Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Monday, November 8, 2021, 7:29 PM, ke9et...@charter.net wrote: Try local electric motor repair shops. They will sometimes sell you

Re: Topband: cheap radial wire?

Try local electric motor repair shops. They will sometimes sell you roll ends or even by the pound. gl Jim -From: "Greg Davis" To: topband@contesting.com Cc: Sent: Monday November 8 2021 4:20:53PM Subject: Topband: cheap radial wire? Hello

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

As others have mentioned losing the balloon and/or getting hung up in nearby hazards is a serious risk. Consider this, learned from flying them from my sailboat. What if the tether point for the balloon is raised above the surrounding terrain? In my case I was trying to make a 45-50 foot/13-15

Re: Topband: cheap radial wire?

Dog electronic fence wire via ebay. Sam(N3XZ) -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces+samjos=epix@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Greg Davis Sent: Monday, November 08, 2021 5:20 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: cheap radial wire? Hello Topbanders, I

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Look into the sources of advertizing balloons. I bought one shaped as a dirigible about 25 years ago to lift my vertical. It was moderately successful for the HS72B operation, but it was quite a lot of commotion and trouble and cost. I do not recall the size of wire I used, but it was not

Re: Topband: cheap radial wire?

On 11/8/2021 3:57 PM, Carl Braun wrote: 1000’ spools of 14ga stranded for $90 each. Smaller gauge wire is just as good electrically, because most of the resistance is coupled from the earth below, so wire resistance doesn't matter. The only good reasons for using larger wire are 1) that you

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Another choice is to buy a cylinder, which is what most consumer/retail users now do in the US. The 150 ft^3 cylinders were going for around $180 empty pre covid. The specific cylinder can be refilled or exchanged which has the advantage of free pressure recertification (at least at my

Re: Topband: cheap radial wire?

Greg and list I started from scratch with my two element ground mounted vertical array. I’ve set quite a few radials and installing more before the snow hits here in the north woods. After doing lots of shopping for surplus wire I’ve settled on private sellers on eBay. I just purchased two

Re: Topband: cheap radial wire?

I can only relate my experience in Australia, where wire is expensive. After investigating bulk wire from manufacturers here, electrical wholesalers, etc., I ended up buying spools of “Building Wire”. I purchased 20 x 100 m rolls of 1.5 mm building wire from an electrical wholesaler at

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Use Hydrogen!73,Gary K9GS Original message From: W7TMT - Patrick Date: 11/8/21 4:54 PM (GMT-05:00) To: Mark - N5OT , TopBand List Subject: Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical Regarding the helium…Be advised the gas used by the party stores these days is almost always a

Re: Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 227, Issue 8

look at this160m-balloon-antenna | | | | | | | | | | | 160m-balloon-antenna | | | -Greg ChartrandRichland, WA.  On Monday, November 8, 2021, 03:03:33 PM PST, topband-requ...@contesting.com wrote: Send Topband mailing list submissions to    

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

And as someone who has been doing these balloon stuff since 1985 or so, real Helium, expect to pay about 300 bucks for a tank of the real stuff. and that's if you can find anyone willing to sell it to you if you have not been a customer already for years. https://youtu.be/YHAr7F1w-aE Joe

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Isn't there always? Wes  N7WS On 11/8/2021 4:24 PM, Gary K9GS wrote: I think there was some alcohol involved. _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

OKI get to tell my funny balloon story.One local, who shall remain nameless, put up a balloon supported vertical for 160 M.It worked well the first night and after sunrise the crew (it was a multi-op) took it down in anticipation of using it again the second night.So what to do with an

Topband: Balloon Supported Verticals

I have used 1/4 wave balloon supported wire vertical for years. Usually a 5 ft diameter balloon. 8 - 16 50 ft radials. They work well, logged VK0EK with it with 100 watts. N0JK Sent from my Galaxy _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Here, for full size 90cm - 1m balloons it works out around $20 au helium per balloon, plus $2 balloon plus $5-10 average line loss. So a night session is around $30 au in costs on average, and only when conditions are right, otherwise you are wasting your time and $. The bigger the

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

> we used a 4-5' - "rubber"  balloon. (could've been latex or something similar) So did I.  A 4 foot diameter balloon has 33-ish cubic feet of volume.  Looks like Helium is running about $2 a cubic foot = $66 per use? Gad.  Too pricey for N5OT. 73 - Mark On 11/8/2021 4:21 PM, Adrian

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Also the disposable party balloon bottles are a waste of $ and would only inflate 2 to 3 of the balloons here. Industrial gas supply is required to make it viable. " ABN 95 000 029 729 Riverside Corporate Park 10 Julius Ave, North Ryde NSW 2113 Tel: 131 262 www.boc.com Email: cont...@boc.com

Topband: cheap radial wire?

Hello Topbanders, I recently reached out directly to a few people who had posted recently(ish) to this email reflector who had described purchasing large amounts of wire for radials at a (relative) bargain price. However, after a couple of weeks of waiting, none of those emails have been

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Dick, I see you're getting some replies trickling in already. Two feet won't do it I don't think my friendnot even close. In 1997 @ CY9AA (St. Paul's Island) we had a balloon supported 160m vertical using a very fine uninsulated wire (and I think maybe kite string too). I was not in

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Even here the industrial stuff is not 'pure' helium. They don't admit this until questioned. Helium molecules being smaller leak through the latex skin leaving the bigger air molecules trapped behind. After the session, I usually bring the balloons back into the house and untie them after a

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

I have been doing it here for well over a year. I originally set it all up with a 1/4w vertical for 630m, 'which performs very well., Then also 160m and 80m using 3/4w lengths For 160m I use 90cm latex balloons fully inflated. I use the online wind forecast showing area wind velocity and

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Regarding the helium… Be advised the gas used by the party stores these days is almost always a mixture and not pure helium. That’s means considerably less lift. You’ll likely need to source the good stuff from a industrial gas supplier. W7TMT From: Topband on

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

>From personal experience I can tell you that a 2 foot Mylar balloon is not >nearly big enough to carry a wire for 160. I used one to fly a 45’ length of >26 gauge wire to bring the total of a vertical I had rigged up on my sailboat >to 90’. It had enough lift for that until the wind came up.

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Been There Done That You might want to figure the weight of what you have to lift.  One would think it was, like, duh, you make a wire vertical and fill a balloon full of helium and ... but it turns out you need to be careful about the weight of the wire and insulators and you need to project

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Here's an interesting source - https://balloonmarket.co.uk/lift-ability.  Looks like one of the last couple in the table should be big enough - say 5 feet in diameter for starters. 73, Pete N4ZR Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network web server at. For spots,

Re: Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

On 11/8/2021 12:48 PM, Dick Bingham wrote: I want to try a balloon supported Vertical for 160. Any advice on sources for balloons? Mylar material and diameters up to 2-feet would be my choice. W6JTI and W4EF are two guys I know who have done it (and JTI still does, although he's been finding

Topband: Balloon Supported Vertical

Greetings All I want to try a balloon supported Vertical for 160. Any advice on sources for balloons? Mylar material and diameters up to 2-feet would be my choice. 73. Dick/w7wkr at CN97uj _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector