[TowerTalk] Rigging Dipoles and Growing Old

[ersmar@comcast.net]

Lee:


     You ought to support the center coax in dipoles mainly to prevent the coax from tearing (bare coax wired to radiating elements) or to keep the PL-259 connector from pulling loose (your case with the Budwig center insulators.)  I would suggest you extend whatever rope you're going to use to support the center insulator a few feet beyond the insulator.  You will then be able to tape or otherwise attach the end of the coax to this rope.  This will provide some support for the coax and minimize the amount of weight the PL-259 has got to support through its soldered connection to the outside braid.

   BTW - In the late 60's when I was a Novice, 73 magazine ran a series of articles for newcomers.  The Elmer in the article was an older Ham named FN.  He taught his young proteges how to loop RG-58 coax over the top of a dipole's center insulator and put a few wraps of tape around the coax below the insulator to keep it in place.  Then he stripped the coax ends and attached the bare wire to the radiating elements.  I used this technique on my first spider-web dipole system.  The tight bend in the top of the RG-8 was something I didn't know enough about to be concerned.  I am planning on using this same approach this summer when I erect a trapped dipole for 60 and 30M, feeding it with much thinner RG-8X and (necessarily) running exciter power only.  

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F



> 
> Ok, I have to admit it...I am past my prime by a
> decade or so.  My knees don't like climbing.  I just
> can't climb the tower like I use to so I have to ask
> others to help...but the "others" are getting scarce. 
> Not a lot of hams know thier way around towers in my
> neck of the woods.
> 
> So, I need to work on my dipoles (Inverted-Vs) for 80
> and 40...I have two hanging off the tower on different
> feedlines.  I replace them and put on new coax as
> well.  What I want to do is this:
> 
> Place a pully system at 45 feet where they are now (I
> have a 60 foot 25G tower guyed at 30 and 58 feet) so I
> can pull the dipoles up and down when I need to, so I
> don't have to climb the tower.  That is all find and
> dandy, but I have this questions:
> 
> Can I let the coax (RG8 - Type) hang down fairly low
> to the bottom of the tower (say 10 feet or so).  What
> is the pitfalls of allowing the coax to hang freely. 
> I will be using Budwig centers which are pretty tough.
>  What have all you 'experts' experienced allowing the
> coax to hang free?  Currently, my coax is attached to
> the side of the tower which precludes me from lowering
> them down through a pully system.  I am trying to
> minimize any tower climbing in the future.
> 
> Hey, if this question is to stupid...just delete it
> and move on.  Hi!
> 
> Lee Buller
> "Out of Shape...Growing Older...Looking for a knee
> replacement"
> 
> 
> Common sense is in short supply - get some and use it.
> If you can't find any common sense, ask for help from 
> somebody that has some common sense. - Lee Buller
> _______________________________________________
> 
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather 
> Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions 
> and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
> 
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