Thanks to all who replied.
I used an amalgam of replies and hit pay dirt on the first try: teardrop lead
weight, fired by a slingshot that had been a tennis ball-based launcher that,
frankly, sucked.
Tennis balls don't come down easily, particularly if you aren't using a tree
that's by itself.
Now to get the ends higher.
Sorry to K9YC; it's a Carolina Windom. ;-)
73, Kelly
ve4xt
Sent from my iPhone
> On Aug 2, 2015, at 13:25, "Mike Ryan" <mryan001@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>
> Interesting launcher...could not find anywhere on the website WHAT THEY COST.
> I guess if you have to ask, you can't afford it? -M
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Lew Sayre
> Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2015 1:10 PM
> To: Edward McCann
> Cc: Towertalk Reflector
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Antennas in trees
>
> Yo,
> I have 2 quarter wave 160M verticals each consisting of 12GA stranded
> wire that are suspended over their respective 130' fir trees. Mother Nature
> placed these two trees 3/8 wavelengths apart and oriented somewhat at
> 45/225 degrees. I use a COMTEK 2 vertical box to change the pattern or at
> least it is a placebo effect when I turn the knob on the COMTEK control.
> I use a pneumatic antenna launcher to get the wires over the trees.
> www.akbeng.com I have no interest in the company but have had a lot of
> fun using the device to get wires way up in the air over trees. The
> vertical wire breaks about every 3 years or so, so I have gained some
> expertise in shooting the weighted tennis ball over the top of the tree
> allowing for windage, flora and fauna and snide comments. My XYL does not
> understand the need to shoot tennis balls over trees but refuses to climb
> the trees for me.
> These two verticals seem to work. I have 60 1/4 wavelength radials
> under each vertical. Going from 56 to 60 radials is where the AA-230PRO
> showed no further changes in impedance in the system so I stopped there.
> The system seems to work better here on this rocky ridge top during the
> rainy winter time.
> The wires do not come straight down next to the trunk of the firs. They
> are held out away from the trunk by branches but are mostly near vertical.
> Yes, I have anecdotal stories of working EU and rare stuff with this
> lash-up but everybody has such stories. I do reasonably well during the
> 160M contests from the West Coast although nearby K7RAT/N6TR usually whips
> me handily but then he is a better operator than I am.
> So to answer your question, Yes! Put up a wire over a tree, put
> radials underneath the wire and get on the air. You will be happy you did.
> 73 and I remain,
> Lew w7ew
>
> On Sun, Aug 2, 2015 at 8:34 AM, Edward McCann via TowerTalk <
> towertalk@contesting.com> wrote:
>
>> How about some comments on performance of vertical antennas over the limb
>> near the tree trunk?
>>
>> Anyone?
>>
>> AG6CX
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Aug 2, 2015, at 6:22 AM, <kb2m@arrl.net> <kb2m@arrl.net> wrote:
>> >
>> > I used to use a slingshot to shoot a sinker on a piece of fishing line,
>> > over the limb. But now I just cast the sinker over the limb of interest
>> with
>> > a short fishing pole. The sinker will return to ground much better then
>> the
>> > arrow. I guess what method you use depends on how accurate you can cast
>> :-)
>> >
>> > 73 Jeff kb2m
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
>> > ve4xt@mymts.net
>> > Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2015 19:03 PM
>> > To: Towertalk Reflector
>> > Subject: [TowerTalk] Antennas in trees
>> >
>> > Anyone have any advice for getting the fishing line to come back to
>> ground
>> > zero?
>> >
>> > I have no problem getting the line over a nice, tall branch but the > arrow
>> > and tennis ball get caught up on the way back down. If I'm lucky, I can
>> snap
>> > the line and retrieve the arrow, but that's only happened once.
>> >
>> > I don't exactly have a bucket truck guy to call where I am (cottage). > And
>> > I'm running out of cheap arrows.
>> >
>> > Kelly
>> > ve4xt
>> >
>> > Sent from my iPhone
>> > _______________________________________________
>> >
>> >
>> >
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