[TowerTalk] Bundling of tower coax and control lines

[Patrick Greenlee]

Roger, Your UV is not nearly the intensity of the 5000 ft high desert QTH. 
What works for you will not work with the intense UV of the high desert.

Ray, I think the dripline is something to consider. I think it should be 
much more survivable than typical water hoses which the UV eats quickly. I 
have had HD clear plastic tubing turn to sticky goo in under a year. I have 
used some 1/2 and 3/4 inch black plastic tubing in drip systems and it 
lasted with no apparent damage for several years. The black plastic wire 
covering "tubing" (wire loom) with a slit on one side lasts for several 
years.  I always found it necessary to put some tape around it every so 
often or to use a few distributed tie wraps to keep the enclosed wires from 
popping out when the bundle was flexed. Maybe you could ferret out the mfg 
and buy it in longer lengths that the shorter ones at the auto parts store.

Patrick AF5CK

-----Original Message----- 
From: Roger (K8RI) on TT
Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:27 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Bundling of tower coax and control lines

On 11/16/2013 2:51 AM, Ray Benny wrote:
> The subject of bundling tower coax with a spiral/twist type material was
> recently mentioned. I cannot seem to find it.
>
> I would like to bundle my coax and other cables, hanging from coax arms, 
> to
> protect them from UV rays. My QTH is high desert, almost 5000 ft elevation
> and control lines on other towers are starting to be affected. I used non
> UV resistant cables that I had on hand at the time,

My Opinion:

Because of the cost and work involved, I'd choose to just replace the
cables.
There are very few coax cables and rotator cables that are very
sensitive to UV.
The only brand name coax sensitive to UV "that I know of" are the
UltraFlex versions of the LMR series.
I do have "old" rotator cables that the outer jacket is failing after
nearly 30 years.


If the cables have been up long enough to already show substantial
deterioration, it's time to replace them anyway.

73

Roger (K8RI)

> Does anyone have leads to locate some of this UV resistant material? I've
> seen this type of material for indoor cables, in 6 - 8 ft lengths. I'm
> hoping someone makes long lengths, 50 ft or so and of different diameters.
>
> Just a thought, has anyone successfully used large diameter black water
> drip line for this? Seems to cover 2 RG8 size coax cables, a #12/2 copper
> line and a 3/8" control line would require at least a 1" diameter line.
>
> Tnx,
>
> Ray, N6VR
> Chino Valley, AZ
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