Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-20 Thread Mike Waters
How about battery-powered plastic owls, with a motion detector? One of those fastened to a corner fence post worked to keep birds away from a 16'x16' vegetable garden we used to have 11 years ago. When motion is sensed (birds), its eyes flashed and it played recorded whoo-whoo-whoo owl sounds.

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-20 Thread David Harmon
<k4...@hotmail.com> Cc: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? How about battery-powered plastic owls, with a motion detector? One of those fastened to a corner fence post worked to keep birds away from a 16'x16' vegetable garden we used to have 11 years ago

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-12 Thread Dave Olean
in the conduit for a second run of cable. 73 Dave K1WHS - Original Message - From: Guy Olinger K2AV To: Dave Olean ; TopBand List Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2015 5:49 PM Subject: Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? Gotta vote loudly with Frank on this one. I had to throw

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-11 Thread Guy Olinger K2AV
Gotta vote loudly with Frank on this one. I had to throw away 480 feet of balanced "window" line (Wireman 554) that ran elevated from my tractor shed to the base of my 3/8 wl 160 inverted L over FCP. The spans were supported from trees a few inches away from the trunks. Very easy access to

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-11 Thread donovanf
Frank W3LPL - Original Message - From: "Dave Olean" <k1...@metrocast.net> To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2015 3:19:08 PM Subject: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? Thanks to all who responded with all sorts of great hints and ideas for comb

Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-11 Thread Dave Olean
Thanks to all who responded with all sorts of great hints and ideas for combating the rodent problem with beverage feedlines. I ended up going with buying 1000 ft of 1/2" PVC conduit and will lay that on the ground through the woods. I ordered a new 1000 ft roll of RG-6 flooded cable to use

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-11 Thread Jim Brown
I installed a pair of Beverages in 2007. They use DXE hardware and DXE window line. The coax was from a 1,000 ft spool of Commscope 5781 that I bought before leaving Chicago. The coax lays on the ground; one run is about 150 ft, the other about twice that. I just looked at the data sheet --

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-10 Thread Terry Posey
All of my transmission lines are buried except for the single coaxial cable that feeds my 6m long-boom Yagi. After 15 years, I have not experienced any problem with varmints chewing on any of my buried cables, despite being located in the dense North Florida jungle. However, the aerial coax

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-10 Thread HAROLD SMITH JR
Dave, I converted to phillistrand 6700lb about 25 years ago. At that time their termination was with 4 cable clamps at each end. They were torqued to 25 ft/lbs as per instructions. I have 80ft Rohn 45G with a Telrex 20M546 at 81 ft, Hygain 153BAS at 90 ft and a 103BAS at 100ft. My phillistrand

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread N5PA
Olean Sent: Monday, November 09, 2015 1:39 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? I was transmitting on 160 last week, and after calling a CQ I noted that the background noise from one of my beverages dropped to almost nothing. Something obviously broke right

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Mike Waters
If all Polyethylene is indeed critter resistant, that seems like a good clue; before buying outdoor coax, check the jacket material on the mfg. data sheet. Other than that, how do we tell for sure what our coax jacket material is? And aren't there different formulas and various hardness specs? I

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Michael Clarson
Dave: For some reason, a lot of animals like to chew on or eat PVC. That is why cats chew on line cords. I had a run of RG213 on the ground in my suburban yard, Squirrels chewed through it 3 times in 5 years. I replaced it with a polyethylene jacket cable, and its been left alone for 7 years so

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Ashton Lee
I had a pack rat problem, eating into cables and have completely cured the issue by running coax inside the inexpensive black tubing made for underground sprinkler systems. It comes in 100 and 500 foot rolls. To get the coax into the tubes cut the length you want… then either push an

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Dave Blaschke, w5un
Same here. W5UN On 11/10/2015 1:00 AM, Herbert Schoenbohm wrote: I use Phyllistran guy wires here but never run them to the ground as a simple brush fire could bring your towers down. Always have at least a 3O foot steel guy wire for the last section so you guys will survive. If you have

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Robert Harmon
No one has answered the original question of "why do rodents eat coax" The reason rodents eat coax, and they like 50 ohm coax the best, is their digestive system is 50 ohms impedance, their SWR goes up otherwise. Bob K6UJ On 11/9/15 12:38 PM, Mike Waters wrote: Hi Dave, There are lots

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Tom W8JI
. You can splice out the bad areas, but you have to bury, sleeve, or fix whatever is eating it. - Original Message - From: "Dave Olean" <k1...@metrocast.net> To: <topband@contesting.com> Sent: Monday, November 09, 2015 2:38 PM Subject: Topband: Why do

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Mike Waters
Here you go. Hilarious, unless it happens to you. forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/insulation-eating-rabbits.268034/ 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Mon, Nov 9, 2015 at 2:38 PM, Mike Waters wrote: > *Perhaps your coax has a soy-based plastic jacket.* > _ Topband

Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Dave Olean
I was transmitting on 160 last week, and after calling a CQ I noted that the background noise from one of my beverages dropped to almost nothing. Something obviously broke right then. All checks pointed to something external to the shack. I finally got out in the woods and checked the antenna

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Mike Waters
Hi Dave, There are lots of mice and squirrels here in the rural Ozarks, but they've never chewed on my Commscope flooded quad-aluminum-shield RG-6. (Yet. :-) *Perhaps your coax has a soy-based plastic jacket.* There are countless stories of rodents destroying the wiring harnesses of parked cars,

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread David Harmon
the replacement of the whole length. 73 David Harmon K6XYZ Sperry, OK -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Dave Olean Sent: Monday, November 9, 2015 1:39 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? I

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Mike Waters
Thanks, Mike. That sounds like what I have. It's shinier, too. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Mon, Nov 9, 2015 at 4:32 PM, Michael Clarson wrote: > Mike: I did say critter resistant, not critter proof, but so far, so good. > Polyethylene (PE) is harder, stiffer (but bends almost

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Bob Kupps via Topband
section at a time... 73 GL Bob HS0ZIA From: Dave Olean <k1...@metrocast.net> To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2015 2:38 AM Subject: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? I was transmitting on 160 last week, and after calling a CQ I noted that the background nois

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Herbert Schoenbohm
I use Phyllistran guy wires here but never run them to the ground as a simple brush fire could bring your towers down. Always have at least a 3O foot steel guy wire for the last section so you guys will survive. If you have the unusual situation where some rodents will try to climb the guys

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Merv Schweigert
I have this same problem all the time, I tried to put a BOG out, made of teflon wire, thinking they would not eat teflon, it lasted a few days and was chewed In pieces, Coax the same, Latest I found is my phyllistran guy wires are all chewed near the bottom, herds of deer are the problem

Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

2015-11-09 Thread Mike Waters
That's one of the reasons why Phillystran is not supposed to be run all the way to the ground. Isn't there supposed to be 6' of steel EHS between the guy anchor and the Phillystran? Teflon?! Maybe it tastes good with a little butter and salt. ;-) 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Mon, Nov 9, 2015 at