Hi,
I have a 3 wire sloper array for 80 meters. The top leg of each
side of the array has a great deal of tension on it because it is stretched
out at a 45 deg angle from the tower. The coax is RG8X (small diameter),
and it runs back to the tower (perhaps 50 feet is suspended) before it can
be taped to the tower. Perhaps this is the type of situation solved by
Kellum grips?
I am not making a judgment against kellum grips being worthwhile,
but I solved the wire stress problem a whole lot easier by taping the coax
to a small diameter nylon rope. The coax has a couple of turns of tape every
2 feet or so, and the rope between any two tape points is pulled tighter than
the coax. This means that only 2 feet of coax is suspended at any given
point, and the entire weight of the coax is supported by the rope. I did
the same with the upper sloper leg, thereby putting the high strain on
the rope instead of the #10 wire, which would have eventually stretched
otherwise.
In the long run, I think a similar approach for hanging cables could be
easier than spending lots of time looking for a source of these grips, and
probably costs no more. I can buy 100 ft of the nylon rope at Home Depot for
about $6. The upper legs took 100 feet, the coax portions took 50 ft. I
bet I didn't use more than 1 roll of tape for the whole affair.
73, Dave Clemons K1VUT
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