I tried allowing the coax (RG-213) to "pass through" the standoffs on
my W-67 (15 years ago), with limited success. I chose to tape the coax
to the arms for purely technical reasons:
1) My standoffs were U-shaped (the "U" laying horiz, pointing away from
the tower) with no captive device at the tips of the "U". I tried to
come up with a way to enclose the U and capture the coax (loosely of
course) but never found anything satisfactory.
2) When allowed to pass through, the coax naturally bunched on the
ground and was subject to all kinds of abuse - lawn mowers, careless
people walking/tripping, and worse, either knotting up or having leaves
and twigs getting caught in it (affecting the reliability of the next
tower extension).
I ended up taping it horizontally along the last several inches of the
standoff, so that there was just a small droop with the tower fully
extended. When the tower was nested, the coax draped down, just barely
touching or clearing the ground.
Still, I watched it very carefully everytime I cranked the beast up or
down.
Mike N2MG
K0MYW wrote:
> Recent comments warning against cinching coax with
cable ties, etc., lead me to ask advice about a question
I have with my crank-up tower.
It's a U.S. Tower model, and I have the U.S. Tower
standoff arms. But I'm wondering if it's best to allow
the coax to dangle freely through the standoffs or
attach the coax at each standoff.
I know the subject was discussed in the distant past,
but no answer I've found seems based upon what's best
for the coax. Most seem based on whether the coax looks
better draped from each standoff when the tower is
cranked down, or is neater if the coax is allowed to
drop freely through the standoffs and coil at the base.
Looking at the situation from the standpoint of being
nice to the coax, rather than from the asthetics of the
tower when it's retracted, what do experienced crankup
owners think is the best approach?
If attaching "fragile" low-loss coax to the standoffs
is the preferred technique, what is the best method of
attachment to avoid the sorts of compression problems
that recent postings have warned about?
Or if allowing the coax to slide through the standoffs
is the way to go, any suggestions about how to prevent
abrasion to the coax jackets as they pass through the
standoff rings when the tower is raised or lowered?
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