From:
Fred Hopengarten K1VR 781/259-0088
Six Willarch Road
Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
permanent e-mail address: fhopengarten@mba1972.hbs.edu
if sending attachments: k1vr@gis.net
On Thu, 14 Oct 1999 08:30:57 EDT W4nf@aol.com writes:
> I have looked through the archives and was able to gather
>some info on tramming but I still need information such as:
>1. What to use for the tram line (rope, wire rope, sizes)
>2. Best way to attach it to the mast and back guying the mast.
>3. Traveling pulley sizes, sources
>4. How does the antenna get pulled up? By the guy on the tower, Thru
>a
>pulley with the line run down the tower thru the tower block and then
>to the
>ground crew?
>5. Best way to attach and use taglines.
>6. Anything else that would help.
>
>Jack W4NF Manassas, VA
Jack:
Here's a summary of Tramming Info from TowerTalk.
Tramming Summary
>Does anyone know of any articles on using a trolley-cable
system to put up a beam? We're thinking of using it for a 3-el 40 meter
Yagi.
You've got the right idea but the wrong technique. The
"trolley" or "railroad track" is where you have two ropes or cables and
the antenna sits on top of them. There's a lot of friction in this type
of system as well as antennas bouncing around, etc.
I use a tramming system for about 95% of my antenna installs.
It'll work with guyed towers, trees, etc. In a nutshell, you have a tram
wire attached to the top of the tower and the antenna is slung UNDER the
tram wire on an upsidedown pulley. The haul rope goes through a snatch
block at the bottom of the tower, up through a pulley at the point of
tram wire attachment and down to the load. When you pull the haul line,
the load on the pulley goes up the tramline. It takes about 1-2 hours to
rig it but only about 10 minutes to run the antenna up.
Another advantage is that you can run the antenna
partially up the wire and test it in the air. It only takes a couple of
minutes to drop it down and retune it and run it up again to verify your
change.
There are a couple of subtleties such as tag line management and two-step
lifts that are also involved.
BTW, I have a copy of an article I wrote on antenna
erection that includes diagrams of the tram rigging system. If you're
interested in a copy, send me an SASE or your postal address.
Steve K7LXC
============================================================
From: K7LXC@aol.com
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996
Subject: Re: Antenna Erection
In a message dated 96-06-19 16:21:40 EDT, you write:
> Sounds like just what I need to put up a 4 EL DX Eng. 20M monobander
(40' boom). I had planned to use a tram type line attached to the mast
about 5 feet above where the beam will be bolted to the mast. This
should compensate for the distance between the tram line and the boom
(lifting sling and pulley distance). The mast is only 2" x .250 wall so
I had also planned to back guy the mast at the same point that the tram
line is attached thus preventing bending the mast from the weight of the
antenna. What material do you use for the tram line? I was thinking of
3/16" guy line, but would you trust 1/8"?
Be sure to backguy that thing! Actually I would be hesitant about
going that high up the mast in the first place. My suggestion is to tram
this big antenna up right at the top of the tower; hang it by the bridle
to the tower or lower mast; remove the tram apparatus; NOW re-rig the
haul pulley and haul line up the mast (3 or 4 wraps of a nylon sling
choker does a great job); now pull it up into place. The second lift is
dead vertical and puts no sidepull on the mast. It only takes a little
bit longer than just tramming it but it's a lot safer for your mast.
As far as the size of the tramline wire, I suggest using 1/8 inch
galvanized wire rope or aircraft stainless steel. Anything smaller is
hard to get cable clamps for and the safe working load of it (200 pounds
for galvanized) makes it reasonable for ham antenna tram loads. It's
also very easy to work with unlike stiff EHS.
Steve K7LXC
A small refinement, with credit to W9LT (or at least he showed it to me).
Rig a short "tiller" of fairly strong aluminum tubing about 3 feet long,
with one end attached to the boom, perpendicular to it and directly under
the tram wire. Attach another pulley to the "tiller", also riding on the
tram line. That way, the beam being raised can't rotate in the
horizontal plane, nor can it rotate around the axis of the boom. Takes
all the excitement out of getting the ends of the elements past the guy
wires.
Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr@contesting.com
I put a heavy eyebolt through the top of the mast, and also hung a pulley
at the same level... the top of the mast is 5' above the tower and the
beam clamps to the mast 1' above the the tower...I ran 3/16 EHS as a tram
line, from the front anchor point at ground level (a BIG tree in my case)
270'
from the base of the tower, up to the top of the mast, then through the
eyebolt and back down to the back anchor at ground level, 90' the
opposite side of the tower base... do not clamp the tram line to the
eyebolt, allow it to creep back and forth through the eye under load to
minimize the side forces applied to the mast... DO NOT use rope for the
tram line, as it has too much stretch, and the tensile load involved when
the beam is at the mid point is greater than you think (assume that it is
10 times the weight )...
do not make the tram line too steep, the flatter the better... 1.5 times
the height of the tower is a minimum distance for the front anchor... the
back anchor can be closer... anchor points can be trees, ground augers,
trailer hitches on a car/truck, etc...
Then a pulley is installed to roll along the tram line, to act as the
car, and a pull rope is tied to the car and run to the top of the tower,
through the pulley hanging from the eyebolt, and back down to ground
level to a snatch point (about 60' from the tower base in my case) then
through another pulley at this snatch point so that you are pulling
horizontally, when raising the beam... do not tie the pull rope to the
beam, you are pulling the car, and the beam is a passenger only, and
hangs straight down from the car... I used my tractor to do the
pulling... watch out for things getting snagged so you don't snap the
pull line or damage the tower... The pull rope is braided dacron, not
twisted nylon...
The beam is suspended from the car with a rope fall (block and tackle),
and is adjusted so that the beam is hanging down the same distance that
the upper pulley is above the tower... The rope fall travels with the
beam and the end of the rope fall has to be in reach of the tower crew
when the beam is at the top, so they can raise or lower the beam during
the installation... (I am raising beams too heavy to be grabbed by hand
and muscled into position)...
You need 4 tag lines on the beam... one at each end of the boom to
control pitching and yawing motions, and one to each side of one (center)
element, about 4' out from the boom, to control rolling motion... run
each of these lines into the center of the boom to tie them off, so the
tower crew can untie and remove these lines after the beam is mounted...
where the tag lines bend/pass over the boom/element they are secured with
a single wrap of black tape, so the tape can be broken with a sharp tug,
when removing the lines...practice this with the beam at head height to
get it perfect before the tower crew has a problem at altitude...
Previsualize, previsualize, previsualize.... picture each step in your
mind, and try to figure out how it can go wrong and what you can do to
prevent that...
Have fun... mine went up smooth as glass in 30 knot winds... looked like
a 747 lifting off..
Denny k8do@aol.com
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 96 12:47 EST
From: David & Barbara Leeson <0005543629@mcimail.com>
Subject: Tramming
There's a diagram of how to do this on page 10-21 of my book. You should
have removable trailing lines on each end of the beam, so it won't rotate
as it goes up and foul the guys. Also, you should be sure that the
antenna center of gravity is below the boom, so it won't tend to turn
over as it goes up.
There's a great pulley you can get at REI, which is about 4" diameter.
It has two independent side plates that are held together with a
caribiner when installed, so you can get it over the tram catenary.
I also build the antenna hanging from the tram, as it gets it up out of
the walking way. And it is easy to pull it part way up to check
everything, and you can also bring it near the tower so you can reach the
element ends to tune the match (I tune the rest of the elements with a
hacksaw at assembly, now that the modelling software has come good, with
good scaling and tapering models, etc.).
Yeah, I use my own taper and element mount models :)
I don't like to use a power winch or truck to pull up anything, as you
can pull the whole mess apart if anything hangs up. Also, I don't like
using hand pulling, because you can drop the works if someone lets go.
So we use hand-cranked ratchet winches (I haven't found a worm-drive
winch yet) with great sensitivity to hangups. When you get the antenna
to the mast, it's easier to release the far end of the tram so the
antenna drops down right next to the mast. Be sure you get the tram and
pulling cable on the right side of the boom for removing or installing!
I use a sailing snatch block at the base of the tower so the winch is
located at the same point as the ground end of the catenary cable, which
is tensioned with a come-along (be sure you know how to release it, so
you don't get caught with too much load at the middle).
Good luck, happy and safe climbing! I go up after the antenna has
arrived at the top, but sometimes you need to guide it.
Dave, W6QHS
============================================================
From: Gary Nieborsky [k7fr@ncw.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 1996
Subject: tramming etc.
I have a video of one of my antennas tramming its way to the top. I'll
go dig it out if anyone has interest in seeing a bunch of old coots and
one young buck (me) put up a tower and tram a KT34XA to the top.
Reply direct please.
Gary K7FR, Antenna Farms
"I don't live in the middle of nowhere, but I can see it from the top of
my tower."
============================================================
A short length of pipe with its own pulley acting as an anti-roll device,
PERFECT! We use the rope over the ends of the boom for leveling the beam
as it goes up, but the rolling of the boom and element/guy headaches that
ensue has always been a hassle.
This is the only problem we have always had with the trolleys...the
antenna invariably "rolls" a little and the leading tips of the beam
invariably hit the guys. Otherwise this is the only way to go. As
previously mentioned by others the ability to hang a feed line on the
antenna and give it a quick testing, and then easily lowering it to
change things is a super plus, but the joy is only having to attach the
beam to the mast when it gets to the top.
When the forty one foot boom 20 meter beam went up last Fall, as always
an element tip hit a guy
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 96
From: k4sb@avana.net
Reply-To: k4sb@avana.net
Subject: RE: Antenna Trolly System
The system I use, which I was taught by others here in the ATL area and
which I have modified is like this.
I connect a STEEL cable about 2' above the antenna to be lowered or
raised. IF the antenna is more than a foot above the top of the tower, I
lower it to that level. The cable is of course secured to the mast. To
bring the antenna down, I have a length of HEAVY chain which I secure
about 3 feet out from the center of the antenna. ( I usually when I build
the antenna put heavy duty eye bolts in these positions. The chain has
safety belt clamps which merely clip onto the eye bolts. The center of
the chain has a heavy duty ( rated at 480 lbs---destruct level over 2000
pounds---made by Deuel Manf. ) pully which is treaded onto the cable and
the normal mount of the pully connects to the center of the chain.
I mount another pully ( using muffler clamps above the 2' point, and have
one directly at the base of the tower. I use medium duty ( > 500 pounds
breaking point ) nylon line, run it through the tower base pully to the
tower mast pully, and connect to center of chain. Next I tension the far
end of the cable with my pickup truck, or to a BIG tree. Use a
"come-along" but don't get carried away. The base pully rope goes to my
Toyota Tractor....Dismount the antenna and the weight and all are
transferred to the cable. Down the tower and either pull on the the rope
( if the antenna is on the ground ) or start out about 150' away and
drive toward the antenna. Rope goes through pully, gravity starts antenna
down and hopefully, you will have the antenna at ground level before you
hit the tower with the tractor. Incidentally, somewhere on the cable at
about the 20' point above ground...I put a couple of cable clamps to form
a stop. After the antenna is down, I loosen the cable and the antenna
comes gently to ground.
I do this by myself, and it usually takes about an hour....up or down. BE
SURE the cable pulls against a guy OR install a temp guy opposite the
pully (except for light antennas...say up to 75 pounds).
I'm sure some of the other guys can comment or add to this. Also works
out fine for testing the antenna and tuning it before you permanently
install it. Ed
Name: ed sleight
E-mail: k4sb@avana.net
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: 06/23/96
=============================================
From: rattmann@cts.com (Rattmann)
Subject: Tramming
Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
Enjoyed your info on the tram line experiences. As I watched this thread
the past few days, most of the fine points have been covered by others,
although this subject is best covered in a magazine article where photos
and drawings can tell a thousand words... but I did want to add one thing
which I haven't seen covered. N6ND and I together have trammed up
perhaps 150 antennas for ourselves and others over the past 25 years, so
we've had a few knocks! As you suggested, one of the biggest problems is
'rolling' of the boom, which causes the element tips to go 'high or 'low'
relative to the slope of the guy wires you are trying to avoid near the
tower top. Another is the tendency of the boom to wander in the
horizontal plane, so that your reflector (or last director) element tip
may arrive at the mast area before the boom-to-mast plate gets there
(this can be minimized by use of lightweight tag lines controlled by
ground people but is not always satisfactory).
The fix for both problems is the following. Use a bridle to hang the
boom about three feet below the upside-down traveling pulley. Of course,
the boom should be normal to the direction of the tram wire, with the
element tips pointing at the target tower and elements parallel to the
earth.
Adjust the bridle position carefully over the c.g. for best boom balance
to keep it level. At this point, most people tie their haul-line either
to the boom itself, or to the traveling pulley. Either method causes the
problems! The solution is to use a 'torque arm' on the lower end of the
haul line. The arm is made of a piece of angle iron, 1/8-inch by 1-inch
by about 28 inches long. Drill one end to accept a shackle for the haul
line. Drill the other end to accept a single HD muffler clamp for the
boom in use. With the antenna hanging on the bridle a few feet off the
ground, and the boom balanced end-to-end, put the muffler clamp and
torque arm onto the boom, next to one or the other edge of the
boom-to-mast plate, which keeps it near the c.g. point.
The torque arm points at the target tower. You will find that you can
set the 'angle of attack' of the elements by swiveling the arm and
tightening the muffler clamp wherever you want it. In general, with a
tram system you want the leading tips of the elements to be perhaps 10-15
degrees above the angle of the tram wire itself. This keeps them out of
the upper guy wires as the beam approaches the tower top, but not angled
so high that they collide with another beam which might already be up ten
feet on the mast. In most cases I have found that putting the torque arm
in approximately the same plane as the elements is about right (sometimes
a bit below their plane is best). KLM antennas in particular need the
torque arm, because they are so top-heavy and want to roll over,
backward, without it. In any case, try a few short test lifts part way up
the tram and keep adjusting the torque arm until you get the
angle-of-attack right.
With a rigid torque arm at the base of the haul-line you will find that
the boom cannot roll over, nor will it wander in the horizontal plane
even with a bit of wind blowing. The rigid arm keeps the boom
perpendicular to the tram (and thus the elements remain parallel to the
tram, which means they
won't try to cross over the tram and get hung up). These features make
taglines unnecessary, and one-man installations are possible. I hang a
come-along from a mast clamp about five feet above the target location.
When the upper end of the torque arm arrives at the mast, I reach out and
attach the come-along lower hook to the boom bridle and pick up the load.
Then the lower end of the tram can be slackened and removed, and walked
in toward the tower. Then the upper tram area is dismantled and the boom
plate fastened to the mast, positioned by the come-along.
BTW, if you do a few of these you should make a permanent wire rope
bridle which terminates on short angle-irons with a muffler clamp in each
to fit the boom. You can move the boom back and forth through the clamps
to quickly find your balance point and then tighten them. Nicopress a
big thimble in the middle for shackling, etc.
This has gotten a bit long but hope the torque arm description will be
useful to some of the gang who use tramming systems.
Glenn K6NA
====================================================
Hello, tramline fans --
The "tiller" pipe is a new one on me but a clever (and automatic)
solution to a typical antenna's propensity to turtle (roll over) and to
get it over the top set of guy wires. Here's a couple of related
thoughts.
One method is to use a tag line that was described in excellent
detail by K8DO. I use this technique to tip the elements to near
vertical as the antenna approaches the top set of guys and even branches
for tree installations. You don't have to remove the top set of guys to
get the antenna up. Use of tag lines gives you more control of the beam
attitude.
The other thing that may help is to mount the elements BELOW the
boom instead of on top. Why are the mounted on the top anyway (KLM,
homebrew, etc)? You're fighting gravity and the darn thing can turtle,
or pitchpole,
on you. Force 12 antennas mount the elements below the boom and it sure
makes sense to me.
Steve K7LXC
When using a tram line here i clamp a short (3' or so) pipe to either the
boom or boom-mast plate depending on where there is room. this is set so
it points up and has a rope tied to the top of it. this way while the
tag lines can be used to control side to side motion this line can be
used to tip the elements as the antenna approaches the tower to clear guy
wires. this has worked great for raising a 6 ele 20m telrex to 150' and
an 8 ele 15m telrex to 120' here. (pictures available on my web page of
antennas, but not tram setup yet) dave
--
ky1h@berkshire.net or robbins@berkshire.net
http://www.berkshire.net/~robbins/ky1h.html
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 14:34:11 -0600
Subject: Summary/Cookbook-Raising Antennas
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I asked for a "cookbook" method raising large antennas several weeks ago.
This is a summary of my cookbook with some notes, options, opinions and
addendums. Credit is given where credit is due, even if it is not
original
but experiential. This might not be exhaustive or even clear, but it
sure
helped me envision how I am going to put up the TH6DXX this spring.
E-mail your comments to k0wa@southwind.net, but don't include all this
information in the reply. Don't take up the bandwidth.
Raising a Beam to the Top of the Tower
1. Place a rope or steel cable (see notes) from the top of the mast to a
solid connecting point away from the tower. This is called a tram line.
If
you use a tree, make sure it is healthy. Don't tie on branches, but onto
the trunk. In Kansas, make sure it isn't a Cottwood because it will fall
over. You can also use a pickup truck bumper. (Make sure you untie the
rope
before you leave.) I have also used steel posts (any farm store has
these)
and cut them in half with a torch. Pound two in the ground, one behind
the
other and attach the line to the first and backstay the front to the back
with appropriate rope or cable. Tensioning the tram line is important,
but
many people have diferent opinions. (See the notes.) Caveate Emptor (Or
something like that)
Note 1-A
What may have been missing from your description, Lee, was that
the
tram line which supports the antenna on the way up should NOT be very
tight.
Dave Robbins, K1TTT (ex KY1H) wrote an article for the YCCC Scuttlebutt a
few years back which analyzed the physics of this arrangement. Among
other
things, he found that the lateral force at the top support (tower/mast)
GREATLY increases when the tramline gets taught and straight. It is MUCH
less stressful on the whole affair to let the tramline have a bunch of
sag
in it.
If there is any question about the strength of the top support,
I'd
recommend using a temporary back guy, from the top support to a solid
attachment on the ground, running 180 degrees around the tower from the
tramline bottom.
I can personally attest to these affects. I was using a schedule
80 water pipe as a mast, and put a slight bend in it while raising a
KT-34XA with too tight a tramline and no backguy.
Tramlines are cool. It takes all day to set them up properly and
another to take them down. But when they work right, I've been able to
install large antennas with no more ground crew than the XYL.
Think through your arrangement carefully, visualizing each step
in the
process. This will help you remember details like 'the lifting line goes
OVER the boom', etc.
-Tony, K1KP,
fisher@hp-and2.an.hp.com
Note 1-B
Lee, Depending on the height of your mast above the tower you
may not want to attach the rope to it, lest you bend or break it. If you
think about it,you put an enormous sideways force on the mast when trying
to raise a heavy beam with the supporting (tram-line) rope reasonably
taut. One option is to attach the tram-line to the top of the tower
(always assuming it can handle the sideways strain) and use a come-along
and/or a gin-pole to get the beam to the right height on the mast.
Alternatively, you can use a second rope in the opposite direction to the
first (suitably secured of course) to serve as a back-stay to relieve the
sideways strain imposed on the mast by the tram-line rope. In my
experience, it is best if you can attach the tram-line to a point a good
bit higher than where you need to attach the antenna. You can then
operate without the tram-line rope being too taut, and once you have
raised the antenna almost all of the way up the tram line, slacken it to
allow the antenna to come in to the right place. While pulling the
antenna up the tram line with a tractor has much to commend it, you need
to have a person on the tower to watch that the pull rope, where it is
tied to the load, does not reach the pulley through which it is being
pulled! My tractor could not sense the increased strain when this
happened, and the rope broke allowing a 6-element 20-meter beam (60 ft
boom) to slide back down the tram-line and,on reaching the ground, turn
itself into a pretzel!
-John N3HBX
Note 1-C
The tram line needs to be somewhat tighter as the beam approaches
the tower, other wise you'll get fouled up with the last set of guys. My
approach is to tighten the tram reasonably tight to start with so by the
time the beam gets halfway up the stretch makes it quite loose. That's if
I'm using 1/2 inch rope. On bigger stuff 5/16 ehs is used, stretch isn't
an
issue then. Regardless, too much tension when the beam is in the middle
2/3rds certainly does cause a lot of side pull on the mast. A back guy is
always a good plan, a bent mast is a real hassle. We use those 4000 lb
rated cable pullers to tension the tram, and once the beam gets near the
tower we just tighten the tram, the beam is lifted away and you
can the tram the beam right to its' resting place. On bigger beams (like
3
el 40 fullsize 400 lbers) the tram is usually attached the tower, not the
mast. Once the beam is trammed up next to the tower, a chain fall type of
hoist is used to pull the antenna vertically up into place.
-Don VE6JY is Don Moman email:
ve6jy@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
Note 1-D
I think you've got the basics down pat. It's really a lot
simpler
than it sounds. Just a few small points.
I recommend wire for the tram line instead of rope. 3/16" guy
wire
works great for me. Also lets me use old guy grips for attaching to mast,
etc. Use a come-along to tighten tram line (of course, not TOO tight).
Make sure the tram line ground attachment point is beyond the radius of
the
guy wires.
-James / k1sd (ex KD1NG)
Note 1-E
An elegant alternative to a separate backguy is to use one
continuous cable that passes through a pulley/sheave at the mast. That
way, the forces are roughly equalized at the mast and you only have to
deal with one cable. Either method does work and is highly recommended
for medium sized projects and up. Two other nifty facets are 1) you can
raise the antenna part way up the tramline while dangling a temporary
feedline to it for initial testing. And 2) the antenna can be lowered
quickly for tuning adjustments or installation problems and raised again
in a matter of minutes. This would include having a tag line hung up on
the antenna, etc. You can lower it and raise it back up again in 5-10
minutes. Like any similar job, it's the rigging that takes most of the
time.
Again, if anyone is interested in an illustrated article on
installing
yagis including tram systems, an SASE to TOWER TECH, Box 572,
Woodinville,
WA, 98072, will get you a free copy. BTW, Tom Schiller, N6BT and Force
12,
has written a book called "Array Of Light" and he has a chapter on
installingyagis. His methods are sell suited for limited space projects
where you may not have room for a tram line (sneaking the beam around guy
wires, etc.). It's $10.00 from Force 12 and an interesting read of Tom's
extensive tower and antenna knowledge.
-Steve
K7LXC
Note 1-F
I think you've got it down just fine! I prefer to use a piece of
steel guy wire (3/16-inch or 1/4-inch) or wire rope (only because I have
oodles of it, 1/4-inch) as a catenary in place of the supporting rope.
This can be tightened more than rope (but you may need a back-stay in the
opposite direction if you attach it to the mast on the tower) if you need
the get the yagis up higher (such as over a house, tree, etc.) Use a
turnbuckle if you want to get it real tight (but don't make it tighter
than you would a guy wire). Using this method I have single-handedly
raised and lowered beams as big as a 204BA (and recently I lowered a
Cushcraft 5-el. 20m) without any problems. If you must do it
single-handedly (not preferred but sometimes necessary!), here's my
method to raise a beam:
Install the supporting catenary as you describe and raise the
beam so it is just a foot or two below the mounting point. Tie off your
pullling rope at the bottom of the tower. Then loosen the catenary at the
ground end and walk it toward the tower and leave it there. The beam will
now be laying against the tower or mast instead of hanging out away from
it on the catenary. Climb the tower and use a small block-and-tackle or
come-a-long to pull the beam into final position. Reverse the procedure
if you're removing a beam.
-Jon AA1K
Note 1- G
Lee, your method as described says: "rope" and "string". That
will not
work! It requires Steel-rope for the tram/pulley arrangement and "rope"
(I
use 1/2 inch poly) to pull the antenna up the tram cable.
The steel tram cable needs to be significantly tensioned to
support even a medium size beam to a reasonable height. I tensioned my
tram cable (3/16 stainless steel rope) to 1000 Lbs tension (as measured
with a LOOS tension gague) to haul up my 40-2CD to 67 ft. Tensioning to
anything less sagged too much to pull the antenna up!!
So, you see, that's why I say you can't (shouldn't) use a
(non-steel) rope for the tram in you description. And the forces on the
pull line are also significant. I use the 1/2 inch poly and pull it with
a tractor!
All this is on tape, and, as I have offered, I will send you (and
anyone who requests it) a copy of my tapes, for the cost of the tape and
shipping/duplicating expenses.
I have already received many many requests for the tapes. I am
in the
process of buying blank tapes, determining the shipping costs, and the
duplicating costs. I plan to incorporate all three videos on one tape
for
all of you. Once I have this done, I'll send all who responded to my
offer
an email with the cost.
If you haven't sent me an email requesting copies of the tape,
please do so. Once I tell you the cost, and I'll ship you a copy once I
get your check.
-Bill,
N3RR
Note 1-H
I used 1/4 EHS for the tram line to pull my 402CD up to 83 feet.
I ran the tram "way" out from the tower and ran it around a 6 inch wooden
fence post. I pulled like blazes on the "dead end" (the end coming back
around the post) and then performed some gymnastics while I clamped the
dead end to the live end with 2 cable clamps all the whilst attempting to
maintain as much tension on the cable as possible.
I ran 1/2" rope through a pulley at the bottom of the tower up to
a pulley muffler clamped to the 4130 2" mast and down to the antenna. I
pulled it up by hand, reclimbed the tower and bolted the antenna on the
mast. I'm more brawn than brains, but it worked quite nicely.
I did pull it up and down several times snagging the elements in
the top guys before I remembered a concept called "tag lines." I wrapped
some
closeline rope loosely around the forward most element end (one end only)
and loosley taped it to the element. It worked perfectly allowing me to
steer the element out of the way of the guys. I held the antenna haul
rope
with one hand and the tag with the other. Just as I got it in perfect
position and started to ponder how hard it was going to be to get the tag
line freed, the tag line fell off. Perfect!
I live out in the boonies and did this solo. It would be a lot
easier with some help, but I was surprised at how well it worked. I used
a HY-GAIN boom to mast clamp and other QHS (NL) mods have been done to my
402, but it still only ways around 65-75 lbs.
-Matt-K7BG
Note 1-H
I've used both steel wire-rope and good regular rope for the tram
line. I
tend to favor the regular rope for the following reasons: 1) Easier to
work
with. 2) Non-metallic; SWR check can be done on the antenna while
hanging
from the tram line.
A good 1/2" braided rope like Yale Double Esterlon has very
little stretch,
and a tensile strength of 10,000 lbs. Highly recommended for all tower
work.
Yes, keeping the antenna above the top guy can be a problem. The
method
I've settled on, in most cases, is to run the tram line directly above
the
top guy in one direction, tension it, and then drop that top guy (letting
it
hang straight down the tower). The tram line takes the place of the guy
wire.
As soon as the beam reaches the tower, the guy wire is
reattached, the tram
line is removed, and the beam is raised the rest of the way.
-Steve Maki K8LX
2. Install two pullies on the rope. The pullies will be used to harness
the beam to the tram line.
3. Move the antenna under the rope and secure it to the lower pully on
the
rope. The boom should be perpendicular to the rope. Make sure that the
boom to mast clamp is facing the right direction. The antenna should be
tied to the balance point. You should use a harness that can "balance"
the
antenna on the rope. By doing so, you will not need to use tag lines.
Make
sure once the antenna is in place you can remove the harness ropes from
the
boom.
4. Attach and 3 to 4 foot arm on the boom parallel to the rope using a
U-Bold. At the outer reach or the arm attach the second pully. You now
are
supported by two pullies. The reason to put the arm on the boom to act
as a
lever and keep the antenna from rolling over or flipping while raising
the
antenna. It cannot flip over with this arraingment. (See the Option
below) I like Pete's method. Remember, I have not done this yet, but I
think it would work better of the "tiller" is away from the tower so you
don't have to take it off before you attach the beam to the mast.
Option 4-A
The arm should be down-wire from the boom, not up-wire, so it
won't get in
the way when the antenna arrives at the mast. Not only does the "tiller"
keep it from flipping, it enables you to pre-position the antenna with
element tips high, so that when it arrives at the tower they won't get
fouled in the top guys. Preferable way is to use a two-point harness tied
to
the boom at equal distances on either side of the balance point, as far
apart as you can reach to untie while at the top of the tower. That way,
the harness tends to keep the boom horizontal. If you secure the tram
wire
at the right height (far enough) above the point on the mast where you
want
the boom to wind up, you can use the play in the
2-point harness to push/pull the boom over against the mast.
-Pete Smith N4ZR
5. OPTIONAL: Tag lines. A tag line can be place on each end of the
boom
to keep the antenna horitontal during lifting. Tag lines are very long
loops of rope which can be taken off after the antenna is in place.
Smaller
rope or cord could be used for the Tag Lines I think most people hate
tag
lines. I have not riggedthis before, but I think making a harness which
balances the antenna correctly, along with the tiller concept would allow
for smooth raising of the antenna with a minimum of ground crew.
6. Place a pully at the top of the tower and place a pull line through
the
pulling and attach it to the arm on the boom of the antenna. The pull
line
rope then goes to the ground.
7. Slow pull the antenna up the rope until it comes to a place where you
want to attach it to the mast. A person on the ground might have to
loosen
the tram line to allow the placement of the antenna on the mast. I
suggest
that a "hay-knot" be used at the lower end of the tram line to insure
that
the rope doesn't get out of hand.
Note 7-A
Another trick is to use a pulley/snatch block at the bottom of
the tower
so that the haul rope goes horizontal for easier pulling as opposed to
pulling down. A down pull is all arm strength whereas with a snatch
block
you can put the rope around your waist and just back up.
-Steve K7LXC
Option 7-A
I envision that one could have a gin pole set on the tower with
the tram
line tied to the tower and not to the mast. If your mast and rotor could
take the sideways pull with a back-stay that would be fine. You would
then
have a the tram attached above the point at which you were going to
install
the antenna. All you would have to do is to swing the antenna over to
the
mast and bolt it on.
But, one could attach the tram line to the top of the tower or
below the
attachment point, pull the antenna to that point, attach the gin pole
rope
to the antenna, loosen the tram harness and drop the tram, and then raise
the antenna in place on the mast. A little more complicated, a little
more
rope, but would not place burden on the mast and rotor and would be less
rigging time.
-Lee K0WA
Addendum 1 (Not exactly what most people have - at least not the guys I
run
with)
Lee, Here is the antenna lifting arrangement we use at NK7U to lift
monster
beams. This arrangement has been used to lift 20M6's (60ft booms),
20M5's,
40M4's, etc. 2 towers are needed to do this however.
1. A large pulleys is needed at the top and bottom of both towers.
2. One rope is run from the ground, through the bottom pulley, up
through
the tower, to the top pulley and then back down to the ground at a
point
between the 2 towers
3. The same is done with second rope on the other tower. The ropes will
then form a "M"
4. The top of our boom to mast plates have 2 holes drilled into the
corners
to accept a yoke. The yoke is attached to the plate with 2 snap
links.
The top side of the yoke is attached to the ends of the 2 ropes. A
photo
of this setup can be found on our home page at:
http://netnow.micron.net/~jcullum/image/joe20.jpg
5. A tag line may be used to keep the antenna from rotating.
6. At this point you are ready to lift. Actually it is more of a pull
since
you are pulling horizontally against the bottom of the tower. We use
a
4-wheeler on the side that the antenna is going to. And the other
rope
has 2 people on it. The antenna can be lifted straight into the air,
past
the guys and then swung into the tower at the appropriate spot. Multiple
beams can be installed up and down the tower without ever having to move
the pulleys.
A benefit of this arrangement is that the antenna can be lifted quite a
way
off the ground and swr measurements can be taken. Getting the antenna
back
onto the ground is only a matter of releasing the ropes (carefully). You
can also pull the antenna up 50 ft or so and use a tag line on the
reflector to point the antenna straight up for more accurate (?) swr
measurements.
Other photos of the antenna installations can be found on our home page
at:
http://netnow.micron.net/~jcullum/html/nk7u.htm
-Jim K7MK
jcullum@micron.comFrom k1vr
From: k1vr
Full-Name: Fred Hopengarten
To: k1ep@arrl.net
Subject: Re: Antennas
References: <199910061425.KAA09993@nigel.brownell.com>
<199910141245.IAA28065@nigel.brownell.com>
X-Status: Unsent
From:
Fred Hopengarten K1VR 781/259-0088
Six Willarch Road
Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
permanent e-mail address: fhopengarten@mba1972.hbs.edu
if sending attachments: k1vr@gis.net
On Thu, 14 Oct 1999 08:45:26 -0400 Ed Parish K1EP <k1ep@arrl.net> writes:
>So, when do you want to work on the 40M beam? Today is probably not
>too good, rain and wind. Tomorrow is probably okay, Monday's are not
>that good. Let me know. I can spend some time like an hour at lunch,
>but not much more than that.
K1VR: Tomorrow, Friday, after the K1MEM funeral (at 10 AM), I should be
home by Noon. A good day to tower.
.
.
.
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