[TowerTalk] Why preload guy lines?

[Steve Maki]

Phil Camera wrote:

> I've been familiar with Loos gauges for years on the boat and now
> with my guyed tower.  Tension is tension and it won't make a bit of
> difference what the material of construction is.  If you know the way
> the gauge works, a precalibrated spring/level is used to measure the
> tension.  The tension in a sailboat mast guy is the same as a tension
> in a tower guy.  Use the Loos gauge with no qualms; you're doing it
> the right way then.  Phil  KB9CRY

Not exactly Phil - the stiffness of the guy has a significant effect
on the accuracy of a deflection type gauge. For a given tension, a
flexible guy (i.e. aircraft cable) will deflect the gauge less than
a stiff guy (EHS).

My Penntech gauge (same basic type as the Loos but for larger guys)
came with a table to convert deflection readout to tension for various
guy material and size.

For example, 5/8" 1x7 EHS will deflect the gauge almost twice as
far as 5/8" 1x19 EHS in the 1000 lb range. With greater tensions
the difference is less (30% at 8000 lbs) but still substantial.

73
Steve K8LX