[TowerTalk] My New 40M Antenna

[Doug Renwick]

Instead of a pulley at the outside end of the tiller I use
a U bolt through which the tram rope can slide.  I find
the most important use of the tiller is to keep the elements
lined up in relation to the mast so that at the top of the
tower the elements will pass by the mast in the correct
position.
In order to keep the leading ends of the elements angled
upwards to pass over the guy wires I built some U clamp
(muffler clamp) brackets.  I welded an eye on the outside
of the saddle through which the tram pulley rope is tied.
A bracket is placed on the boom on either side of the
boom - mast plate and each is positioned to give the
required element angle.  Looks like a upside down V
hanging from the tram rope.

Doug


Pete Smith wrote:

>
> Many people argue for the use of a backstay because, as Phil says, this
> puts a lot of stress on the mast.  W9LT (now WA7LT) taught me how to do
> this using a single cable and what he called a tiller, which is a short
> piece of tubing u-bolted to the boom like another element.  Put a pulley on
> the end of the "tiller," also running on the tram line, and you can adjust
> how high the leading ends of the elements ride so they don't hang up in the
> top guys as you approach the tower.
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR

--
Doug Renwick VA5DX
PO Box 50, Clavet, Saskatchewan, Canada S0K 0Y0
VE5RA at sasktel.net
First VE5 9BDXCC
What profit it a ham if he gains all the awards yet forfeits his soul?
I'll run the race and I will never be the same again.