Topband: Inv-L joy

[Gary Smith]

> Gary, WD-1A military field phone wire is strong, lightweght and very
> inexpensive.  It is available on E-bay.  Be sure to use a spring and
> a 
> counter weight at one end to absorb the movement of the branches and
> reduce the friction. This method will also mitigate somewhat the 
> tendency for a tree limb to envelope the wire and cause additional
> problems with wind and moving branches.
> 
> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
> 

Hi Herb,

Yes it is light & rugged and it may be the right solution. I used to 
have some for my beverage although it's gone now. The WD-1A I had was 
hard to solder well, it was not shiny wire and seemed to have this 
oxide layer on it I had to work with. Think it was from the Vietnam 
era. 

I just can't use springs or pulleys where I'm at. The radial plate is 
350' from the house & at the edge of a salt marsh and I have to shoot 
with that spud gun, through small openings in the heavy foliage to 
just get the wire up there. There's just no place to run a pulley or 
spring up so I can't have a counterweight at the end. What I have to 
do is tie the rope at the end to a long thin branch on the ground, 
one big enough to pretty much stay in place but light enough it can 
pull upwards a bit with wind blowing the trees. No way to isolate the 
wire from the tree branches & movement at all. All considering I get 
a pretty fair signal out but the antenna conditions are pretty 
Spartan.

73,

Gary
KA1J