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[TowerTalk] Crankup Tower Cables in hostile environments

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Crankup Tower Cables in hostile environments
From: K7LXC@aol.com (K7LXC@aol.com)
Date: Wed Jun 4 19:17:18 2003
In a message dated 6/4/03 1:37:07 PM Pacific Daylight Time, du3nxe@mozcom.com 
writes:

> About 5 kilometers to the south of me is a petro-chemical complex called
>  Bataan Refinery Corporation. Occasionally I can smell some polution. Since
>  my cables do not appear to be corroded (rusty) I believe the light brown
>  color spots and the gray color is caused by some polluting gases from the
>  plant. And the steel wire is not rusting at all.
>  
>  It is very difficult to reach each portion of cable on the TX-472 when it 
is
>  cranked down and the 4 sections are nested. The TX-455 with 3 sections is
>  not as much of a problem to try and clean the cables. But even if I clean
>  the cables by wiping with Prelube 6 and a cloth, the Prelube 6 leaves a
>  slightly sticky surface and I suspect that the dirt, etc. will just collect
>  again.
>  
>  Do any of you with crankup towers have any advice on how to clean and
>  protect my cables?

    I suspect that it's not "dirt" but airborne particulates. With a chemical 
processing plant nearby, that's probably the culprit. These days there are 
many sources of air pollution - some of which are tough on outdoor hardware. 

    A friend of mine has a tower where one side of the legs is dirty brown 
from airborne junk and the other side is perfectly clean. The dirty brown side 
points at Seattle - the other side points towards residential areas. The same 
thing is seen on other hostile environments. 

    I installed a TailTwister in practically downtown San Francisco. Within 
weeks the outer shell has a big layer of oxidation and air pollution induced 
junk. 

    Is the PreLube 6 leaving a coating that attracts dirt? No. It soaks in 
and does not leave a film on the outside of the cable. But it won't repel other 
contaminants either. You don't have to wipe it off. 

    Can you do anything about it? Yes. I have recently picked up a new 
product from the same company called PreLube 19. It forms an outer film to 
protect 
against airborne contaminants and is recommended in other hostile environments 
such as acid rain or salt spray. The outer protective layer will not crack and 
is self-healing against scratches and nicks. 

    It's $12.00 per spray can. It's not on the website at this time but if 
you want to order some, use the PreLube 6 box to place the order and use the 
secure shopping cart. Just use the comments box to say "Order for PreLube 19" 
or 
something similar. Or give me a call to order. 

Cheers,
Steve       K7LXC
Champion Radio Products
888-833-3104
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