[TowerTalk] Antennas in trees

Sun Aug 2 14:45:12 EDT 2015

Thanks to all who replied. 

I used an amalgam of replies and hit pay dirt on the first try: teardrop lead weight, fired by a slingshot that had been a tennis ball-based launcher that, frankly, sucked. 

Tennis balls don't come down easily, particularly if you aren't using a tree that's by itself. 

Now to get the ends higher. 

Sorry to K9YC; it's a Carolina Windom. ;-)

73, Kelly
ve4xt 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 2, 2015, at 13:25, "Mike Ryan" <mryan001 at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> Interesting launcher...could not find anywhere on the website WHAT THEY COST. I guess if you have to ask, you can't afford it?  -M
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Lew Sayre
> Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2015 1:10 PM
> To: Edward McCann
> Cc: Towertalk Reflector
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Antennas in trees
> 
> Yo,
>    I have 2  quarter wave 160M verticals each consisting of 12GA stranded
> wire that are suspended over their respective 130' fir trees. Mother Nature
> placed these two trees 3/8 wavelengths apart and oriented somewhat at
> 45/225 degrees. I use a COMTEK  2 vertical box to change the pattern or at
> least it is a placebo effect when I turn the knob on the COMTEK control.
>    I use a pneumatic antenna launcher to get the wires over the trees.
> www.akbeng.com   I have no interest in the company but have had a lot of
> fun using the device to get wires way up in the air over trees. The
> vertical wire breaks about every 3 years or so, so I have gained some
> expertise in shooting the weighted tennis ball over the top of the tree
> allowing for windage, flora and fauna and snide comments. My XYL does not
> understand the need  to shoot tennis balls over trees but refuses to climb
> the trees for me.
>    These two verticals seem to work.  I have 60 1/4 wavelength radials
> under each vertical. Going from 56 to 60 radials is where the AA-230PRO
> showed no further changes in impedance in the system so I stopped there.
> The system seems to work better here on this rocky ridge top during the
> rainy winter time.
>   The wires do not come straight down next to the trunk of the firs. They
> are held out away from the trunk by branches but are mostly near vertical.
> Yes, I have anecdotal stories of working EU and rare stuff with this
> lash-up but everybody has such stories. I do reasonably well during the
> 160M contests from the West Coast although nearby K7RAT/N6TR usually whips
> me handily but then he is a better operator than I am.
>  So to answer your question,   Yes!  Put up a wire over a tree, put
> radials underneath the wire  and get on the air. You will be happy you did.
> 73 and I remain,
>  Lew    w7ew
> 
> On Sun, Aug 2, 2015 at 8:34 AM, Edward McCann via TowerTalk <
> towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:
> 
>> How about some comments on performance of vertical antennas over the limb
>> near the tree trunk?
>> 
>> Anyone?
>> 
>> AG6CX
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> > On Aug 2, 2015, at 6:22 AM, <kb2m at arrl.net> <kb2m at arrl.net> wrote:
>> >
>> > I used to use a slingshot to shoot a sinker on a piece of fishing line,
>> > over the limb. But now I just cast the sinker over the limb of interest
>> with
>> > a short fishing pole. The sinker will return to ground much better then
>> the
>> > arrow. I guess what method you use depends on how accurate you can cast
>> :-)
>> >
>> > 73 Jeff kb2m
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
>> > ve4xt at mymts.net
>> > Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2015 19:03 PM
>> > To: Towertalk Reflector
>> > Subject: [TowerTalk] Antennas in trees
>> >
>> > Anyone have any advice for getting the fishing line to come back to
>> ground
>> > zero?
>> >
>> > I have no problem getting the line over a nice, tall branch but the > arrow
>> > and tennis ball get caught up on the way back down. If I'm lucky, I can
>> snap
>> > the line and retrieve the arrow, but that's only happened once.
>> >
>> > I don't exactly have a bucket truck guy to call where I am (cottage). > And
>> > I'm running out of cheap arrows.
>> >
>> > Kelly
>> > ve4xt
>> >
>> > Sent from my iPhone
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> >
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