I use ladder line from the Wireman and from Davis RF. I think the
conductors are copper plated solid steel.
I bought 1/4" thick 2" wide strips of acrylic from McMaster Carr and
made a pair of clamps of 6" long pieces by cutting grooves for the wire
thickness, two holes for ss bolts and one for a rope.
These clamp the ends tightly and the acrylic is useable outdoors.
The ladder line is supported every 50 -75 feet by a 3-4" piece of pvc
wide enough to easily pass the ladder line and with a large and small
hole in it. The small hole is for a screw into a convenient tree and the
large is to pass the screwhead.
Where there were no trees, mainly a swampy area, I used metal fence
posts with a piece of pvc over the post with a bolt through limit how
far down it slides on the post and a T on the top end. The ladder line
passes through the T.
The supports are at the end only. The ladder line has a twist every 3 or
4 feet and rides easily through the pvc supports. This has been up for
at least three years and has survived tree limbs, frost, snow and people
with no problems to date.
I think I have pictures of the clamps if anyone is interested.
Les W2LK
On 10/23/2013 5:46 PM, Mike Waters wrote:
Whatever you use for wire, it needs to float at the supports. Anchor it at
only one end and tension it tightly at the other end.
I use my own ladder line, made from .061" diameter plated steel electric
fence wire and spacers made from 1/4" dia. plastic coat hangers. Supports
are 10' high and 100' apart. It's taken a lot of abuse, including large
tree branches falling on it and a porch roof hurled against it by a small
tornado. Some supports broke during the flying porch roof incident, but the
wires never broke either time.
WD-1A military telephone wire works well, if you have the right impedance
matching transformers.
Having said all this, I know that a lot of Topbanders use that brown
plastic window line for their Beverage antennas. Which kind lasts?
73, Mike
http://www.w0btu.com/Beverage_antennas.html
_________________
Topband Reflector
_________________
Topband Reflector
|