Braid is a suitable RF grounding conductor only when alternatives such as stranded wire or copper strap are subject to flexure failures, such as grounding of swinging metal doors, fence gates or mova
Hi Jamie, No, you didn't hit a nerve. Its just that use of braid as RF grounding conductors is a common mistake frequently made by hams and some professionals. Prior to the 1980s, manufacturers of gr
This year the elevated radials (two per vertical) on my 4-square vertical array were removed and replaced with 60 radials for each vertical, laid directly on the ground. Each is 120 feet long, except
Many solar calculators are available on the internet. For example, the following calculator will provide the precise azimuth of the sun (and much more) for any date and time anywhere on the earth. ht
Jason, The Steppir has changed the paradigm for tri-band and five band Yagis. Either the 3 or the 4 element SteppIr have significantly better gain and f/b than any log periodic, including very large
Keith, If you decide to go to a 190 foot tower, I still have several hundred feet of new heavy duty tower similar to AB-105 (but much stronger) available for sale. The face width is 24 inches, just l
I have over 500 feet of new 24 inch face width tower for sale, ideal for your big Spring antenna project. This tower is stronger than heavy duty AB-105, and far stronger than the 200 foot AB-105 towe
Bud, TIA-222-G dated August 2005 provides the following wind and ice specifications for Yavapai county, AZ: Basic wind speed (3 second gust): 90 MPH Basic wind speed (3 second gust, with ice conditio
Bud, Please see the correction to the last line below (if ice thickness is 1/4 inch or less, it may be ignored). TIA-222-G dated August 2005 provides the following wind and ice specifications for Yav
Paul, I do the precise trim of the lengths of my phasing lines "in situ" at my tower bases with a time domain reflectometer. My monoband Yagis use T-matches and 1/2 wavelength 4:1 coax baluns. The 50
Mark, I have a set of 20 year old AB-105 installation drawings prepared for me and stamped by a P.E., but he died more than 10 years ago! I'll be happy to send you a copy if that would assist you. Pe
Ron, I've been running full legal power into N connectors on the HF bands for many years with no failures. Correct assembly is essential to reliability, the relatively new RC connectors eliminate the
Thanks to W0YR for catching this one: After the cables inside a cell tower caught on fire, this video/still photograph sequence shows the monopole bending over under an intense heat load. Then, stunn
Ed, I've used "Type LE Phenolic" for all of my element mounting plates for 35 years. The oldest material is still in use, and other than some deterioration the original color, they are all as good as
This huge antenna system sale on Ebay expires this afternoon. Who's station is it?? 73! Frank W3LPL Ebay item #300001032885 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ViewItem&item=300001032885&ssPageName
After lubricating the joint, a trick that works well is to use 5/8" diameter tubing as a hammer to drive the 3/4" element out of the joint. 73! Frank W3LPL ___________________________________________
Roger, Have you considered changing replacing your Cat5e network cable with a fiber optic cable? Cat5e Media converters are very inexpensive, as is fiber optic cable. I run an ARcluster network from
Mike, Don't do it! Braid is a terrible choice for lightning or RF grounding, and its much worse outdoors where corrosion will be a factor. You won't find a single knowledgeable source who would ever
Stew, Lightning cable (sometimes called lightning conductor) is intended for lightning protection of buildings and trees. Tower manufacturers and lightning protection standards for towers do not reco