[TowerTalk] Guys and things

[Barry Kirkwood]

Guess it all a matter of scale.
If talking towers 100ft with stack etc on top then obviously very careful
design is required. But I get the impression from Tower Talk that the
smaller stuff is wildly overdesigned.
FWIW my 45 ft pipe mast with rotator and Force 12 3-CS on top with 12g ht
fence wire guys at top and 20 ft with small fence insulators breaking them
and ratchet tensioners had no problem with Cyclone Drena measured at 137kph
in central Auckland City and much stronger on my cliff top qth.
I have commented about how the antenna coped well beyond its design limit,
but the new owner reports that some of the rivets now sad, so the wind left
its mark.
73

end
Barry Kirkwood PhD ZL1DD
Signal Hill Homestay
66 Cory Road
Palm Beach
Waiheke Island 1240
NEW ZEALAND
www.waiheke.co.nz/signal.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Brown <kb0pyo@rconnect.com>
To: Barry Kirkwood <bjk@ihug.co.nz>
Cc: Tower Talk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, 11 June, 2001 7:10 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Guys and things


> Hi All
> I sure would have hated to rely on fence wire for a guy
> when the 90+mph breeze went thru last night, tore the rain
> gutters off the house but NO antenna damage.
> Mark
>
>
> Barry Kirkwood wrote:
> >
> > Been following the guy discussion with interest.
> > Point of information:
> > For us benighted folk outside the USA, what is "Phillystran"?
> > To continue:
> > I have had a lifelong interest in both sailing and amateur radio.
> > One thing they have in common is that products sold in these markets are
> > vastly overpriced compared with comparable products marketed for other
> > consumers. (An exception might be ham transceivers, but that is another
> > story.)
> > My mind boggles when I hear $5 US ea for what I presume to be
compression
> > (egg) insulators to break guys in relatively modest service. I can buy
whole
> > bags full of electric fence insulators on the expensive ZL market for $5
US.
> > I do not have the numbers on them, but would be surprised if they failed
in
> > service. They have never looked like doing so for me.
> > The same thing goes for thimbles, shackles, rigging screws etc if you
buy
> > them from farm or industrial suppliers rather than marine or radio
> > companies.
> > For smaller installations plain fence wire with ratchet tensioners does
a
> > great job for guys and costs peanuts.
> > If Phillystran is Kevlar, then hunt around commercial fishing boat
> > suppliers. You might go into shock when you find how cheap these guys
sell
> > it.
> > I read the QSTs of the 1930s and 1950s and marvel at how things have
changed
> > in the USA.
> > By the way, when you find a way of terminating Kevlar without writing
off
> > most of its strength and weight advantage let us know.
> > This will surely help us hang on to the America's Cup for another decade
or
> > two.
> > 73
> > Baz
> >
> > end
> > Barry Kirkwood PhD ZL1DD
> > Signal Hill Homestay
> > 66 Cory Road
> > Palm Beach
> > Waiheke Island 1240
> > NEW ZEALAND
> > www.waiheke.co.nz/signal.htm
> >
> > List Sponsor: Are you thinking about installing a tower this summer?
Call us
> > for information on our fabulous Trylon Titan self-supporting towers - up
to
> > 96-feet for less than $2000! at 888-833-3104 <A
HREF="http://www.ChampionRadio.com">
> > www.ChampionRadio.com</A>
> >
> > -----
> > FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/towertalk
> > Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
> > Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
> > Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com
>
> --
> en24gp 6m through 1296, BBQ rules, icq 41823284
>



List Sponsor: Are you thinking about installing a tower this summer? Call us
for information on our fabulous Trylon Titan self-supporting towers - up to
96-feet for less than $2000! at 888-833-3104 <A HREF="http://www.ChampionRadio.com">
www.ChampionRadio.com</A>

-----
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/towertalk
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com