[TowerTalk] (no subject)

[K7GCO@aol.com]

 In a message dated 9/13/00 5:04:47 PM Pacific Daylight Time, :<< 
     This is a snow job.
 
      It illustrates how far from reality you have strayed-- Especially the
      remarks on rotary open wire joints.  
 
*******You make statements about what I have used mechanically and 
electrically without any knowledge whatsoever like one other totally 
misinformed critic.  Just because you have no electrical or mechanical skills 
to build simple things, don't assume others don't have them.  I also have a 
lathe and mill I bought just to make antennas 40 years ago with greater 
precision and trained my self how to use them.

     Any you are right I have never SUCCESSFULLY used open wire line.  It
     always had problems.  Mechanical, interaction and weathering (primarily 
icing).

*******You just clearly illustrated what I just said, you destroyed and keep 
digging your "Critic Credibility" into a deep hole.  When you can't do 
something, ask questions how to do it from those who know how.  You haven't 
done that yet and have even "burned your information bridges" by continually 
criticizing those who can.

     Not only that you can't even get the components to make what you're 
talking about.

*******Porcelin spacers are still found in the flee markets.  Delrin rod for 
making spacers can be found in the Yellow pages under "Plastics".  It can 
take the ultra violet rays of the sun.  Use 3/8" rod and cut in 6" lengths.  
Drill snug holes 3/16" from the ends and secure on wire every 3' in the open 
and 2' or so with turns with RTV silicone rubber.  Do you have a drill?  I 
suggest a length of 136' or multiples for a variety of reasons.  It's a 1/2 
wave at 3.562 and multiples above.  The VF will be about .98 with enameled 
wire and lower with insulated wire requiring it to be shorted on one end and 
grid dipped to 3.562 MHz.  Can you use a grid dip meter?  I think I already 
know the answer.  

The most available component in Ham Radio is wire.  Look for #12 enameled.  
Why can't you find any?  I'll sell you some.  It's well broken in.  

        Get with it.  Join the rest of the world and recogize the convenience
        and practicality of coax for most ham apps.

****** There is no law that says I have to use coax if I have a more 
efficient system
I have the skills to assemble.  As I pointed out I do use a lot of coax and 
combinations you don't even use.  I'll put up with some inconvenience and a 
long life very inexpensive system for better performance.  Your horizons are 
very limited in ham radio without mechanical, electrical and experimental 
skills.  I have made spacers and even the entire feedline for others (without 
open wire blinders) just for the cost of the Delrin. 
 
*******There is a 75M vertical antenna system I just looked at in TT that had 
500' open wire feedline with transformers on both ends with a measured loss 
of .3 dB.  It will stay that way for years and is easy to repair if damaged 
somehow.  You can't afford coax of the same loss that long.
 
******On the contrary--you have not been given a snow job.  I have been 
trying to drag you back in this case to the last century kicking a screaming 
to use techniques that have applications they do better and cheaper.  Your 
thinking processes seem to be frozen and I have not been able to at least 
warm them up when told what the "technical facts of ham radio" are in other 
areas.  Please do some research into what others have before you bad mouth 
it.  I respectively request you do not respond to my Posts in the 
future--until at least you learn how to use open wire line.  I'd be happy to 
hear from you then.  You screwed up. 
.
********The 2 posts below show others can master the mechanical and 
electrical applications.  WH6H even used the dual balanced coax line.  These 
are highly advanced techniques over what you use.  It's time to get up to 
speed.  I don't recommend wooden spacers even if boiled in wax.  k7gco

73 de Brian/K3KO

 In a message dated 9/13/00 11:40:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
satcom@lava.net writes:<< 
     In 1977 I bought a house on Douglas Island about 6 miles from Juneau, AK
 from an OM who had built a 20 meter rhombic on the property. The rhombic
 was fed with home brew 600 ohm open wire feeders with wooden spreaders, it
 was about 100' long to the shack (it was a real radio shack separated
 from the house !)...the corners were supported by tall lodge pole pines.
 I ran it through a Dentron 3000A tuner and could get a perfect match on
 several bands. The antenna (and the whole QTH ) was over muskeg that had
 incredible ground conductivity and it was a super performer with really
 low take off angles towards Europe over the pole. The old homebrew
 ladder line stayed intact the eight years I was at that QTH. I used a
 homebrew quad on 10 to 20 and won a few radio contests for AK and the
 Pac NW as KL7BV.  I've also used 450 ohm ladder line with my "Polynesian
 Special" a bisquare cut for 10 m which I throw up into palm trees and
 then pull into the diamond shape with fishing line.  That was a killer
 multi-band antenna when I was QLF as 5W1SB and A35SB in the late 80's. I
 used a little Nye Viking tuner and a TS-430s.  I'm now QLF on a hill
 side QTH 100 feet up from the "worlds best beach" in Lanikai, HI. The
 F12 C4XL I built last fall is now on my scrounged Tri-ex LM470 and is
 killer on 10 to 40. Its fed with dual coax lines. The ground slope
 increases behind my QTH and becomes a small mountain which I'm planning
 to exploit for a "stealth 80 m rhombic" pointed at Europe which I'm going
 to feed with a combo of both 600 ohm ladder line and double shielded
 RG-8 that I got for free. Anyway there's a lot of neat apps for ladder
 line and of course coax is nice and convenient for 150' runs or less.
 Its hard to be a purist on anything these days but open wire feeders are
 clearly an amateur "classic".
********Brian--read that last sentence again. 
 Aloha,
 Stu
 WH6H
 
 Scott Hotchkiss wrote:
 
 > I have, and do, use it successfully.
 > I don't feed my tower mounted rotary beams
 > with it. I feed other antennas  with open wire
 > transmission line and know of a situation where
 > an antenna on the top of the mountain needed to
 > be used by a station in the valley (more than 2
 > miles away) and 900 ohm 'twin-lead' made it
 > possible.
 > de W4PJ
 > Scott R. Hotchkiss
 > Fort Lauderdale, Florida
 > ----- Original Message -----
 > From: "alsopb" <alsopb@gloryroad.net>
 > I have never SUCCESSFULLY used open wire line.  (Some can't and some can)
 

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