[TowerTalk] Replacing guys and C31XR report

[K8RI on Tower talk]

>
>
> K7LXC at aol.com wrote:
>>     OF COURSE you want part synthetic and part EHS. The synthetic guy 
>> under
>> tension is easily severed with a razor knife...bye, bye tower. It also 
>> burns
>> easily. You want the last 15' or so to be EHS to the anchor so that 
>> neither of

It burns easily, but if you can cut it with a razor knife it's a better one 
than mine. I had planned on using one to cut the stuff to length. I gave up 
and went to using the same cable cutters I use for steel.  OTOH it can be 
cut much more easily with a hack saw.

>> those situations are possible.
>
> Ideally, yes.  I don't require the ideal here.  I guess our coyotes and
> deer don't like Kevlar, and where do ya all live and who are your
> enemies that you have to worry about someone cutting down your tower
> with a razor knife?  If they wanted to do that, wouldn't they be able to
> figure out how to cut the EHS too?

Although the last 10 feet or so are EHS,(I use it for protection against 
tractors, lawn mowers, cars and other things that might run into it and 
grass fires) if some one wants your tower down a pair of cable cutters, bolt 
cutters, hack saw, etc... works equally well on EHS as Phyllistran)

Grass fires here are far more likely than critters of vandals, but that does 
not eliminate them.

>
>>     It's a matter of speculation with no overwhelming reason that I've 
>> seen
>> to do it one way or another. I've used Phillystran and recommend it for 
>> any
>> populated tower; that is, a tower with several antennas on it, 
>> particlarly wires
>> or sidemounted yagis. And yes, you may introduce some destructive 
>> interaction
>> with EHS but I don't know of anyway to predict it until the antennas are
>> installed. If in doubt - go with the synthetic guys again, you know how 
>> they'll
>> work.
>
> Yep, I'm not getting any encouragement for switching to all steel.  I
> just considered it because I thought it might outlast ME.

According tot he literature the Phillystran will as well and it's so much 
easier to work with.

Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com