[TowerTalk] Experience in using a Tram

[Lee Buller]

  Ladies and Gents....
   
  I took down my venerable TH6DXX yesterday and put up a C3E/D on my 60 foot tower.  I rebuilt the TH6DXX about 8 years ago.  The beam had considerable wear and tear on it with the plastic parts anbd pieces taking a beating.
   
  Coming down with the tram was easy since gravilty helped....but going up with a tram is fairly hard....at least the way I did it.  Previous discussions on this list and the results of those discussion should be read carefully and taken into consideration.  I did it the WRONG way.  Here is what I discovered....
   
  1.  Use a pully or more than one.  Don't use something that skids up the tram line.  The ideal is little pulling resistance.  I did not have this in my situation.
   
  2.  Make sure you have a good diameter rope on the pull line as small diameter rope is hard to grip and can hurt your hands even with gloves.
   
  3.  If you are pulling the antenna up via the boom, make sure you tilt the antenna around 45 degrees so you can clear the top set of guys (if you have guys.)
   
  4.  Planning is excellent, but be prepared to modify or throw out your plans when they don't work.
   
  5.  A tiller might work better to keep the angle of the beam up, but the tram lines has to be very tight for that to work.  Rope tram lines will sag...even if you think you have them tight using a block and tackle mechanism.
   
  6.  After the event, take all the guys out for dinner and buy them what they want.  (This was quite succesfull).  Figure in this to the cost of ham radio.
   
  The bean is up...looks much smaller that the TH6DXX...but the match is great.  Best I've ever had in an antenna.  I have yet to work a Q since it was "hungry" but I will get that done over the next couple of days.
   
  Cudos to K1TTT and others for their excellent write-ups of what to do wht in comes to traming antennas.
   
  Lee - K0WA
   


In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply.  If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it.  If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense.  Is Common Sense devine?