[TowerTalk] Edible cable jackets

[Dick Green]

Pete,

I've had all sorts of trouble with critters chewing cables and coax. They
really seem to like LMR400UF, but not 9913 and Buryflex as much. So far, I
haven't found a rotor cable they don't like. The best solution was to bury
the cable a few inches under the grass. I use a vertical hoe to make slits
in the ground and tuck the cables under the sod. Another solution I tried
was to drink a lot of water and, uh, water the cable myself. That seemed to
keep the critters away for a while, at least until the next heavy rain. Not
a very practical solution in the long run.

Dick

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pete Smith [mailto:n4zr at contesting.com] 
> Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 10:40 AM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Edible cable jackets
> 
> 
> A couple of weeks ago, I laid down two runs of CAT-3 computer 
> cable from 
> the house to the tower for a new antenna switching system.  I 
> was out there 
> yesterday after the rain stopped, and discovered a 2-foot 
> stretch of one of 
> the cables that appears to have been chewed by something.  
> Can't tell yet 
> if the continuity has been broken on any of the pairs -- 
> that's the next 
> chore -- and I'm hoping this was a one-time experience, but I 
> was curious 
> whether anyone knows anything about plastic cable jacket 
> materials that are 
> more or less attractive to small animals.
> 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> The World HF Contest Station Database was updated 17 June 03. 
> Are you current? www.pvrc.org/wcsd/wcsdsearch.htm
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> 
> 
>