Topband: Building a practical vertical from Al tubing

[Donald Chester]

I prefer metallic guys.  If breaking them up with "egg" insulators is no 
problem, I would recommend "high tensile" agricultural fencing.  In our area 
it is available an any farmer's supply, at low cost.  It is about a #12 or 
#14 galvanised hardened steel srand of wire with similar characteristics as 
one strand used to make e.h.s. tower guying cable.  Just tightly wrap the 
ends 7 or 8 turns or more at each termination point and it should last for 
ever.  The stuff is springy but manageable.

Never, ever use cheap 6-strand "TV antenna guy wire."  That stuff must have 
been designed to sell new TV antennas.  It literally rots on the spot.  I 
put up a TV pushup mast vertical back in the 70's using it, and the guy 
wires completely rusted away in less than two years.  That antenna would 
probably still be up if I had used good solid stand galvanised steel.

Don k4kyv


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