Topband: Ladder line vs coax loss epiphany

[Eric NO3M]

OWL using #14 THHN and 1/2 in. irrigation "drip" tube.  If drilled with 
the right sized hole, the spacers pinch the wire enough to stay in place 
w/o any additional hardware:

http://no3m.net/index.php?page=open-wire-transmission-line

73 Eric NO3M

On 04/30/2014 11:16 AM, Rik van Riel wrote:
> On 04/30/2014 11:08 AM, Shoppa, Tim wrote:
>> I briefly used the "window line" you all are discussing, before I 
>> built my own parallel line from scratch.
>
> It is surprisingly easy to make one's own ladder line, on a budget,
> from materials that are locally available.
>
> I have made ladder line from 12ga THHN wire, 1/4 tubing, UV resistant
> zip ties, and super glue.
>
> First, I cut the 1/4 inch tubing in many pieces of equal length,
> representing the distance between the wires.
>
> Then, I string up two lines of copper wire near each other, at a
> convenient to work with height. This can be done between two trees,
> between a tree and the deck, etc...
>
> To assemble the ladder line, I run a zip tie through the tubing,
> around one wire, back through the tubing, around the second wire,
> and then I ratchet it close.
>
> I put spacers on about every foot and a half. Afterwards, I run
> by and snip off the zip tie ends, followed by another run to put
> a drop of superglue where each zip tie touches the wire.
>
> Ladder line like this has been up both at my house, and at a
> friend's place, for a few years now.
>
> It is a lot easier to make it this way, than to run hundreds of
> feet of copper wire through ready-bought spreaders.
>
> I did take pictures at one point. If someone wants the illustrated
> version of the above description, I'll type up a blog post with
> pictures.
>
> If someone has ideas on how to do it better, I am all ears :)
> _________________