Pete,
Now that you have opened up all your thimbles, may I suggest an
alternative: I use a shackle to bridge the turnbuckle and the thimble in
the end of my guywires.
Advantages:
1. No need to open the end gap in thimbles.
2. Allows easy detachment of guywires at the ground level to raise/lower
antennas, replace guys in the event of damage, etc.
Disadvantages:
1. Additional cost for the shackles (though minor when compared to other
components. Also, cost can be minimized by shopping at a professional
rigging shop instead of ham radio outlets).
2. Potential failure point (unlikely, with properly sized shackles; bent
and rebent thimbles are probably more likely to fail).
3. Potential vandalism point (lockwire and/or peen a thread or two on the
screw -in pin of the shackle. Evaluate your vunerability to vandalism in
the first place -- a set of bolt cutters in the hands of a hooligan is
quicker than unscrewing several shackle pins).
For what it's worth. . .
73,
Steve Zettel KJ7CH
Libby, MT (Where the "Code of the West" still applies to tower vandals)
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