Topband: Ice

[Gary and Kathleen Pearse]

I believe OH8X had one or more “hammers” mounted to their 160 Yagi to help remove the ice buildup. Sadly their extraordinary effort recently fell victim to winds and reportedly torque: http://dx-world.net/2013/oh8x-tower-collapse/

Not sure what the answer is. My Puny 3-el SteppIR with fiberglass elements and retracted innards survived a November ice storm, gusts 60-70 reported locally, and a direct hit to the director by a falling tree and the 160 Inv-L wire. One bracket is bent some, the boom is bent some, but it still works. Repairs when it’s warmer.

Take care, there’s more on the way as far as Lower 48’s stormy WX:

http://www.weatherstreet.com/states/gfsx-sfc-temperature-and-wind-forecast.htm
http://www.weatherstreet.com/states/gfsx-slp-forecast.htm

73, Gary NL7Y