Hi Mike,
I always attach the cables to the standoff arms, and when the tower's all
the way down nothing hits the ground (since in my case, the cables run
across the roof to the shack). This isn't for "looks," it's to keep the
cables off the ground, where they would be most easily damaged. This also
helps to assure that no cables can end up going through the lower tower
webbing where they can be sliced in half as the tower comes down (!) and
other evils. (With a manual crank, cables can end up twisted around the
crank handle -- I've seen everything.)
To protect the cables where they run through the standoff arms I usually use
a large diameter water hose, run the cables through the hose, and tape the
hose (not the cables themselves) to the standoff arm. In some cases, the
standoff arm cable support "Y" or "U" must be bent open a bit wider than the
factory setting in order to make room for the hose/cable bundle.
Sometimes I pack something like foam rubber material into the hose as well,
to take up any space left.
Seems to work for years and years without any problems.
WB2WIK/6
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." -
Mario Andretti
> -----Original Message-----
> From: k0myw@att.net [SMTP:k0myw@att.net]
> Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 12:19 PM
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: [Towertalk] Coax and Crank-Ups
>
> 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?
>
> de Mike, KØMYW
>
>
>
>
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