[TowerTalk] Feedline Coil or Loop??

[John Elsik]

How about three RG8 size cables?  Would that cause any coiling/uncoiling problems?
 
John
wa5zup> From: K7LXC at aol.com> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:50:32 -0400> To: towertalk at contesting.com; k3bz at arrl.net> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Feedline Coil or Loop??> > > In a message dated 7/23/2007 12:13:41 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, > towertalk-request at contesting.com writes:> > > I've always used a feedline "loop" that hangs out and down from the tower > leg that's half-way on the rotation circle, is attached to the boom a few > feet out from the mast, and is long enough that it doesn't impede antenna > rotation in either direction. I recently saw an installation with the > antenna mounted about 2 feet up the mast from the tower top, with the > feedline coiled about 2 turns loosely around the mast rather than hanging > down. The antenna end of the coax was attached at the bottom of the > mast-to-boom plate. The arrangement looked like those coils of cable that > the TV trucks deploy when they raise their microwave towers, but only a > couple of turns to the coil. When rotated in one direction the coil got > tighter to the mast, but not touching it. In the other direction the coil > got looser.> > > My question is.... is this a good idea? I have never seen it before, so > maybe it isn't in widespread use, which makes me wonder why not.... as it > "appears" that it would put less stress on the coax than the usual U-shaped > arrangement.> > You betcha. It's an alternate method that works FB and is a little more > foolproof than a conventional rotation loop. I think the reasons that it's > not used more is a) many people don't know about it and b) it takes a little > more thought and planning to do. If you've hauled up the feedline with your > beam, getting it around the mast a couple of times might not be easy. OTOH you > can spin the beam on the mast a couple of times to do it. > > I've used it many times. It's easier with one or two cables - more > starts to cause coiling/uncoiling problems. > > Cheers,> Steve K7LXC> TOWER TECH > > > > > > > > ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at > http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour> _______________________________________________> > > > _______________________________________________> TowerTalk mailing list> TowerTalk at contesting.com> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk