Hi Jim,
Do you weatherproof your split-bolt or u-clamp connections?
73, kelly, ve4xt
Sent from my iPad
> On Sep 24, 2016, at 2:32 PM, Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sat,9/24/2016 9:45 AM, Steve Jones wrote:
>> My full-sized 80M dipole is strung between two Douglas firs. At the end of
>> the rope over the pulley at one end I use a gallon paint thinner can with
>> the top cut off and filled with concrete. It rides up and down in the wind
>> and keeps the dipole taught. Maybe it could use a little more weight, like
>> a second such paint can.
>
> My 80/40 fan dipoles are up about 140 ft and fed with RG11. Trees supporting
> one of the dipoles are about 200 ft apart, the other about 145 ft. It takes a
> lot of weight to avoid excessive droop. Ropes at both ends go through a
> pulley, one end is tied off, the other end has the weight, which is a 13
> gallon water jug filled with dry sand. Weight is about 90#
>
> The 80M element, which carries the tension, is #10 stranded THHN on one
> antenna and #9 hard drawn copper on the other. The 40M element is #12 THHN.
> The support rope on the longer run is 7/16-in Synthetic Textiles, the rope on
> the shorter run is 5/16-in.
>
> These antennas have been up about 9 years. Mechanical connections and the
> rope are the weak spots. I've had no failures on the main support, but did
> have one side of the 40M element break loose from it's connection at the
> center. When I dropped that antenna to repair it, I rebuilt it to replace the
> #10 THHN with the hard drawn copper. The other antenna still has #10 THHN for
> 80M.
>
> As to mechanical connections. Solder is a VERY BAD idea for wires outside,
> especially if the soldered segment of the wire can flex or vibrate. My
> electrical and mechanical connections are made using split-bolt copper
> connectors. I loop the wire through the mechanical support at the center
> insulator, strip enough that it 3-4 inches is exposed, and use two split
> bolts to secure it. The split bolt closest to the center has the wire going
> to the feedline. At the far end, I use either two split bolts or two U-clamps
> (with an egg insulator).
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
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