[TowerTalk] Re: Bow Launching, an evolution

[K4OJ@aol.com]

We have been using a cross bow....this has evolved from originally throwing
the line over the trees (only worked for real short trees) to

to a bow and arrow

the wrist rocket sling shot with a lead fishing weight with monfilament line

to a cross bow

The arrows we use are el cheapo department store or better yet hope I find
them at a yard sale type - Dad takes several 16d (aka 16 penny) common nails
(the kinda most frequently used in construction/they have a head on them) and
tapes them to the pointy end - the pointy end of the nail pointing back at
the tail end of the arrow.  Then a VERY small hole is drilled through the
arrow just behind of the feathers/fins...this is where the line attaches to
the arrow.

With the leap from the wrist rocket to the cross bow the ease of the job took
a quantum leap....the cross bow delivers enough "ummph" (a word related to
"skosh" and "smithereens") that you can tie small gauge nylon string onto the
arrow and it will fly.....with the bow or the sling shot we were still using
monofilament which would pull the string and then the rope.  When we used the
monofilamnt it was "stored" on a fishing pole, a cheapy from Wal Mart, or
whatever....when the monofilament was being shot out - the fishing pole reel
was in casting mode...when it was time to pull it back, we reeled it in.

Things happen very fast when you use this system...it is very important that
you have your line able to easily spool off as the arrow heads away at its
rapid pace.....the first time you use your nylon string it can be spooled off
of of its factory spool....the second and subsequent usages are the tricky
part.  We have a plastic spool about 6 or 8 inches in diameter which has
almost no edge on it - it has a mild slope to the edges - I am not sure but
think it came from some application having to do with lawn line trimmers....
this works well to allow the nylon line to spool off easily.  The spool must
me mounted to something heavy enough to stay put as the line is pulled off of
it...and that fastening cannot involve anything in the path of the string as
it spools.

I would say it takes about five or six tries before we get THE shot that is
what we want....here in So Fla the target trees are usually pines about 40 or
50 ft tall and they have a lot of small branches that will sheer off under
pressure....they also have "crotches" that tend to grab hold of the
rope....ALWAYS USE A DOWN ROPE SO YOU CAN PULL HARD ON THE ROPE - don't
depend on being able to pull on the antenna to "unjamb" the rope out of the
crotch....if you look carefully at the trees around the perimeter of the yard
you may find ropes dangling there serving no purpose....tree crotch
casualties.

Since using the cross bow the act of putting a rope in a tree has been
greatly improved...too bad all we have is those palms - they swing around so
much they are poor end supports...unless you like oscillating antenna
heights!

Ocassionally there has been a failure of the string to arrow connection......
and in the field next door to the station there are several arrows with 16
penny heads!  It is a good system, like I say....keep your eyes open for the
arrows at the junque sales...if you are using a cross bow they have ones with
plastic "feathers" since one of the "feathers" travels in a track (oh yeah -
don't forget to drill that hole at 90 degrees to the track tavelling feather!


The most bizarre, but effective, application of the crossbow system so far
was when I took it up to the 80 foot level on the tower in order to shoot a
line over a tree that was between the tower and our other tower at the time.
 I hoped the neighbors weren't watching....I was a little worried about the
funny farm truck pulling up with a straight jacket for me! Afterall, this is
the kind of thing that only a ham can understand.......yes, it worked great
that day!

73,

k4oj.....in sunny FL where life is beautiful all the time. hee hee - ha ha

sometimes known as Jim....sometimes Robin, when I'm in the Hood, that is




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