[TowerTalk] Ernesto ate my windom

Jim Jarvis jimjarvis at verizon.net
Sat Sep 2 11:21:01 EDT 2006



TT:

Apros pos of an earlier thread about how to put wires
in trees, I espoused the 'keep it simple' approach, just
laying the insulated wire and its support line, over the
top of trees.  Leave a little sag, and you should be ok,
as the trees move.  If something breaks, you can put it back
up in 15 minutes, using bow and arrow.

Lest we forget Murphy...I had a new experience with Ernesto's
backwash, and my 'low profile' carolina windom, today.

The #14 PE insulated superflex broke about halfway across one leg of the
windom.
It was explosive enough when it went that the tree end sprung itself into
a wrap around a branch at 65'.  Can't get it down.  Got a dangling 1/8"
hoist
rope.  Minor aesthetic concern, requiring some ladder work.

This is the SECOND time the wire has broken.  My recommendation is to use
#12
superflex, instead of #14.  The #12 never broke, through two hurricanes and
two
locations.  I got talked into the lighter wire, because it was more
stealthy.
Wrong move.

n2ea
jimjarvis at ieee.org




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