[TowerTalk] Crankup Tower Cable Issues

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/30/2010 12:01:37 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
towertalk-request at contesting.com writes:

>  Also: how can you tell if a replaced cable needed to be  replaced? You 
would have to test it 
to  failure...and that's along all parts of the cable?
 
    There are 3 industry recognized reasons to  replace wire rope.
 
1)  Excessive broken strands - more than 6 total or 3 in the  same bundle. 
 
2)  Damage - obvious kinks or flat spots.
 
3)  Fatal rust - not just surface rust but serious rust. 
 
    Compared to commercial hoist and cable usage, ham  crank-ups hardly get 
warmed up in their occasional use so cable damage and  subsequent 
replacement is rare in my experience. 
 
    And yes, periodic cable lubrication with a proper  cable lubricant goes 
a long ways to extending the life of the cables. One  recommended by wire 
rope manufacturers is PreLube - available from _www.championradio.com_ 
(http://www.championradio.com) . 
 
Cheers,
Steve    K7LXC
Champion Radio Products