[TenTec] OT: Openwire/Window Line and Bad Wx

[Robert Mcgraw]

A nice sharp wide wood chisel and mallet works well.  Just cut the web on
each side, skip one web and then cut another one out.  Works and doesn't
inflict pain on the hands.

73
Bob, K4TAX

> I cut out a lot of the webbing in my 450 ohm feeders
.decreases wet to
> dry tuning, plus it decreases the wind load and makes the ladder line a
> lot lighter. use good cutting shears or you gonna have a nice set of
> blisters!
>
> On Aug 1, 2013, at 7:30 AM, Wade Staggs <tvman1954 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> *After owning several Automatic Tuners, I have found the hard way that
>> most
>> of them just don't have the guts to do what I need. The MFJ-989C is the
>> only High Power and Manual Tuner ever owned at this station. Not
>> wanting to
>> bad mouth Auto Tuners but, just my observation. The large Roller
>> Inductor
>> and Variable Caps of my Manual Tuner, give me a much broader tuning
>> range
>> and bandwidth. My 450 ohm feed line is several years old and I call the
>> Tennessee Phone Net in the mornings sometimes. At 6:45 AM the Dew on
>> the
>> line causes me to need a re-tune every morning. My feed line is in the
>> shadow of the house. Looking out the back window we have found that 5
>> to 7
>> minutes after the weak morning sun hits the wire, I can go back to my
>> pre
>> set values.... Someone mentioned that trimming all the plastic possible
>> from the window line will cure the problem, or make it better. Haven't
>> tried that yet? There is no fancy test equipment here but, on air
>> experience tells me that the Wet Line and Re-tuning does Not adversely
>> effect my signal to any detectable level. I am saving now for the
>> purchase
>> of 100 feet of the True Ladder Line as found on the Internet. Re-tuning
>> for
>> rain is one thing but, the re-tune thingy every Friday morning is
>> getting
>> old. Also, every operator who has talked to me says that the 600 Ohm
>> True
>> Ladder Line ( Google it ) cures the problem. I guess that 12 year old
>> Ladder Line has aged enough that water does not just run off of it.
>> There
>> should be no wetting agent needed here. The antenna here is an 134 foot
>> Dipole at 67 feet each way. Sitting at about 30 feet high. Feed is 450
>> ohm
>> window type. 80 thru 10 Meters with ONE Antenna. I know there are
>> better
>> antennas but, this is rental property and what I can get away with
>> before
>> the Land Lord gets upset. *
>> *                                       73 de Wade/KJ4WS*
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 8:39 AM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP <Rick at dj0ip.de>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not sure if you asked me or the group.
>>> I have no clue, and I guess there are several types.
>>>
>>> One thing I know for sure:  NOBODY coats their feedline with a wetting
>>> agent
>>> before it rains.
>>>
>>>
>>> Another thing I know for sure:  how much difference 6dB makes in a
>>> contest.
>>> It's like running barefoot or with a linear.
>>>
>>> Running a linear means I work 90% of all the stations I call with just
>>> 1 or
>>> 2 calls.
>>> Running barefoot means I get about 30% with just one call.
>>>
>>> So in a contest, 6dB means a lot more than 6dB measured in a lab.
>>> I guess it is due to the competition.
>>> On an un-crowded band, it would mean 1 S-Unit but in a contest it
>>> means a
>>> lot.
>>>
>>> My point:  I have run openwire (window line) countless times in
>>> contests
>>> where it rained and if I had been losing 6dB all the time, I would
>>> have
>>> noticed it in my score.  I did not.  I only noticed that I had to
>>> retune
>>> the
>>> matchbox.
>>>
>>> I always use manually tuned matchboxes.  If you have an auto-tuner,
>>> then it
>>> really doesn't matter much.
>>>
>>> 73
>>> Rick, DJ0IP
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
>>> Carter
>>>
>>> Is the "wetting agent" conductive -- or at least more conductive than
>>> rain
>>> water?
>>>
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-- 
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