Topband: Beverage Woes

[Mike Waters]

Whatever you use for wire, it needs to float at the supports. Anchor it at
only one end and tension it tightly at the other end.

I use my own ladder line, made from .061" diameter plated steel electric
fence wire and spacers made from 1/4" dia. plastic coat hangers. Supports
are 10' high and 100' apart. It's taken a lot of abuse, including large
tree branches falling on it and a porch roof hurled against it by a small
tornado. Some supports broke during the flying porch roof incident, but the
wires never broke either time.

WD-1A military telephone wire works well, if you have the right impedance
matching transformers.

Having said all this, I know that a lot of Topbanders use that brown
plastic window line for their Beverage antennas. Which kind lasts?

73, Mike
http://www.w0btu.com/Beverage_antennas.html