Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

[TowerTalk] Pulling coax in conduit

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Pulling coax in conduit
From: w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 12:27:32 -0700 (PDT)
>Hello to all!
>
>I have a 300 foot run of 2 inch PVC well casing that I buried.  I placed
>4 cables in it before I cemented the 20 foot sections together but I
>also included a nylon rope for pulling future cables.  I have a feeling
>this small nylon rope wound around as the other cables were pushed
>through so that it may be impossible to pull another cable although the
>conduit is fairly empty.
>
>I could always tie a larger rope on the small rope and pull it through,
>thus changing the pull line.  That is an option but the basic problem
>remains.
>
>My question is does anyone know if electrical fish tape is practical for
>use in a very large conduit 300 feet long?  Where does one get this
>stuff if it can be used.
>
>What I am aiming for is to put 600 feet of that double braided 3/16"
>nylon through that pipe.  Then I have enough to pull from either end.
>
>Any suggestions?
>
>73,
>
>Charlie, W0YG..>>

Well, I once watched as the telephone company "blew a string" into 300 feet
of buried conduit so they could run a fiber optic cable with some existing
runs.  There was no "pull rope" or "pull cable" in the conduit at the time
and that was the problem.  If you have never heard of this technique before,
it is fascinating and sounds impossible when described, but I watched it
work.  It requires a fairly good air compressor and a continuous "plastic
bag" with no ends in it that comes off of a reel.  The plasic bag is
actually a long plastic tube about the diameter of the conduit and at least
as long as the conduit run you are trying to put the "string" in.  Your
conduit may be too small for this technique to work effectively.  I have no
idea where I would buy the "long plastic bag on a reel" but I would ask the
local telephone company where they get theirs.

If anybody has any interest in how this magic is actually performed, I will
try to describe it for you.  I saw it work and I understand it perfectly.
It will be tough to describe it without using scratch paper to diagram it .
. . but I am willing to try if you want to know . . .

Stan  w7ni@teleport.com


--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search:                   http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>