[TowerTalk] CQ CQ- Balloon Needed
Fred Hopengarten
k1vr@juno.com
Wed, 27 Dec 2000 12:54:12 -0500
On Wed, 27 Dec 2000 11:55:59 EST RLVZ@aol.com writes:
> Balloon needed for launching a 160 meter wire antenna!
>
> I spoke with Fair Radio Sales but they no longer have them. Please
> advise if
> you know where I can purchase a balloon for this important antenna
> project!
>
> Thank You!
> K9OM
From:
Fred Hopengarten K1VR
hopengarten@post.harvard.edu
Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
781/259-0088 *eFax 419/858-2421
The following FAQ response features Fair Radio promintently, but offers
alternatives too.
FAQ: Balloons
Collected by Fred Hopengarten K1VR
From: Chuck <dietz@texas.net>
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 1998 08:16:28 -0600
Subject: [TowerTalk] Re: Balloon
Don Prater wrote:
> What
> is the physical configuration of the balloons that Fair Radio sells?
What
> is the leak rate? How much do they cost? What is the availability? What
> does it cost to rent a cylinder of gas? How large a balloon is it? Can
you
> reuse it? How much weight will it support? What size and type of wire
did
> you use?
The balloon is shaped like a manta ray. Fair Radio Sales has a web page.
http://alpha.wcoil.com/~fairadio/index.html
You need to refill it each day, although it will only lose about 25% of
its
helium. They are $25 each. I rented a 80 cu ft cylinder of helium for
$15.99 plus a $150 deposit. It filled the balloon and recharged it the
next day and still had about 30-40% of the helium left. The balloon is
about 5-6 feet across and about 3 feet thick. You can reuse it if you
don't snag it on a tree or something. Mine is reusable. I used about
#22 insulated wire.
Careful filling it. The gas comes out of the nozzle so rapidly you will
blow holes in the balloon if it is aimed directly at it.
Chuck, KZ5MM
=====
From: jfeustle <jfeustle@uoft02.utoledo.edu>
Date: Fri, 06 Mar 1998 11:30:06 -0500
Subject: [TowerTalk] Balloons
I looked into the balloons that Fair Radio has to offer. I contacted them
via e-mail and here's the reply.
------------------------------------------------------------
WE HAVE A LARGE MANTA RAY SHAPED SAFETY ORANGE PLASTIC BALLOON, 8 FT
WINGTIP TO WINGTIP AND NOSE TO TAIL. SHAPED LIKE A LIFTING BODY. IN
FACT WE DID FLY IT LIKE A KITE. UNUSED, $25.00 PLUS SHIPPING.
#SEB-42-ALV
ML-541A WEATHER BALLOON 7 FT DIAMETER UNUSED $17.95 EACH 2/$32.00 PLUS
SHIPPING
------------------------------------------------------------
The problem we had with our balloon antenna, outside of the operators
sniffing the gas, was with the wind driving it back down toward the
ground. Perhaps since the one Fair Radio balloon is shaped like a lifting
body, this will not be a problem. Wonder how I'd explain this one to the
neighbors....
Joe, N8JF
=====
From: David Jordan <wa3gin@erols.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 13:11:31 -0400
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Balloon as Temporary Tower for FD
Fair Radio has tether Wire for sale...300 ft. spool of vinyl covered
braided #22 for $13.
I ordered some to play with when out camping...you can reach them at
www2.wcoil.com/~fairadio
-- dave
=====
From: "Mike Michon" <michon@eatel.net>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 09:03:37 -0700
Subject: Re: Topband: Source for Helium Balloons
We use the balloons from:
Balloons Everywhere
4658 Airport Bvd.
Mobile, AL 36608
Internet www.balloons.com
Local--334-341-3520
Fax--334-341-3582
Free FAX--800-753-3528
Nationwide--800-239-2000
The 4 foot diameter supports 75 feet of the wire we use (military surplus
steel/copper, about 18/20 gauge).
We use a 60 foot mast so we don't have to support the whole wire, and it
keeps it from blowing horizontal into the trees. The mast is EMT
sections.
By adding a second balloon at the midpoint of the antenna, it adds more
lift, and in a breeze, for some reason, the 2 balloons tend to blow
(oscillate) in different directions. It is funny to watch, but the
antenna maintains a vertical position in a wind better this way.
I would also recommend ordering extra balloons as we have purchased them
with holes right out of the pack. Not a happy thought 2 days before the
160
contest in the woods of Mississippi.
The 4 foot and 3 foot balloons are not listed in their catalogue, but if
you call them and ask, they have them. About $9.00 a piece if I remember
correctly.
Mike Michon AB5XP
From: Dave Hachadorian <k6ll@juno.com>
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 07:10:05 -0600
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Weather Balloon Source
My local party supply store carries 5 foot diameter latex balloons.
They are only about $2 flat or $7 round (their terminology for empty or
filled). They come with a nice little plastic clip, which makes the
balloon reusable.
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Big Bear, CA
K6LL@juno.com
From: Dave Hachadorian <k6ll@juno.com>
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 09:10:22 -0600
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Weather Balloon Source
On Wed, 16 Aug 2000 11:19:29 EDT K7LXC@aol.com writes:
> How much lift does one of those have? Enough for a 160M wire?
I don't know how much lift a 5-footer has. I tried a 3 foot diameter
balloon for a 160 wire, but it was inadequate. I spooled out the entire
quarter wavelength, but the wire was WAY off vertical.
I would have gotten the 5-footer, but I didn't have a way to
carry it home, filled, from the store. Maybe it could be done
in a pickup truck bed, if you covered the balloon with a lightweight
tarp, put a blanket on the pickup bed, and drove slowly.
The wire I was using was from a surplus "Gibson Girl" liferaft kit.
It's pretty lightweight, Mil-Spec'd for optimized use with balloons.
Someone (Davis RF?, Wireman?) carries a lightweight wire that they
say is good for balloons.
I've heard of some people using fishing line/aluminum welding wire.
I bought a spool of the welding wire at Harbor Freight, but it breaks
pretty easily when flexed, so I never used it.
My gut feeling is that with no wind, a 5-footer might be adequate, with
lightweight wire. I think a pair of 5-footers would be more than
adequate.
I'd also like to try one of those Tyvek kites featured in QST a couple of
months ago!
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Big Bear, CA
K6LL@juno.com
From: Dave Hachadorian <k6ll@juno.com>
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 11:55:45 -0600
Subject: Fw: Re: [TowerTalk] Weather Balloon Source
Here's some useful info from WA7BNM on the subject that I am
forwarding to the reflector, and here's some further analysis:
Bruce says below that two 30" balloons will lift a 160 wire adequately.
That's 28,273 cubic inches of Helium.
My experiment with one 30" balloon, 14,137 cubic inches of Helium, failed
to lift the wire adequately.
One 5 foot balloon, inflated to 50", contains 65,450 cubic inches of
Helium, which should be more than enough to do the job!
The volume of a sphere is a function of the cube of the radius, so a
slightly bigger balloon carries a lot more Helium.
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Big Bear, CA
K6LL@juno.com
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bruce Horn <bhorn@hornucopia.com>
To: Dave Hachadorian <k6ll@juno.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 09:49:12 -0700
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Weather Balloon Source
At 09:10 AM 8/16/00 -0600, you wrote:
>I don't know how much lift a 5-footer has.
As I recall, 1 cu ft of helium lifts 1 oz.
I use three 3 ft. balloons (filled to about 30 inches) to lift a 160m
vertical made from 18 ga. stranded "grounding" wire I bought at Home
Depot. Two balloons will keep it up, so I have one "insurance" balloon.
73 de Bruce, WA7BNM (bhorn@hornucopia.com)
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