[TowerTalk] Birds and the Leaning Tower

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

Birds quickly get used to something constant. Cormorants busted the boom 
truss on my 7L C3i 6-meter Yagi, which dropped down onto my TH-5 tri-bander.
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/tower36.htm

73

Roger (K8RI)


On 8/2/2016 Tuesday 7:18 PM, StellarCAT wrote:
> my experience has been that rotating only works for a while- they get 
> use to it ... I've had literally hundreds of birds on antennas at one 
> time ... never had any damage...but here in my new location in upstate 
> SC I have 3 VERY large turkey vultures in the back corner of our 11 
> acres ... near the back tower - I'll probably need to get rid of them 
> before finishing the planned 2 towers with stacks... I absolutely 
> DON'T want damage to those antennas.
>
> I wonder if one could run a dacron rope - well no - good idea but it 
> wouldn't fully cover everything - I was thinking of running a 1/8" 
> dacron rope taut between the ends of the boom about 3" above it - this 
> would keep them from at least landing on the boom I believe... but I'd 
> rather have them land there then on the elements.
>
> I had read somewhere - was it on here? To hang a CD on a string - 
> drill the CD offset from the center so that it constantly twists - and 
> the reflections will ward them off ... not sure if that would work all 
> the time but might work during daylight hours. Seems birds tend to 
> 'sit' on lines at sunset so that probably wouldn't work then.
>
> Maybe a wireless speaker? Play predator bird sounds through it? Cannon?
>
> The problem is whatever you do needs to be constant - so anything that 
> involves yourself isn't going to work as they'll just be there when 
> you're not.
>
> Gary
> K9RX
>
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Tom_N2SR
> Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 12:15 PM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Birds and the Leaning Tower
>
>
> Same here.   I normally see the turkey buzzards after a morning rain 
> or when there is dew, when they will sit at the top of the mast and at 
> the ends of the boom with their wing unfurled, probably trying to dry 
> them off.   One time I think I had 8 of them up there.   I wonder if 
> it's good luck?
> Since the feedline to the 2 element 40 is under the boom, there are no 
> issues with claws damaging it.   When I installed the C31XR at 80 
> feet, and the feedlines wrap around to the top side of the boom 
> (because of the ring rotator), I placed a piece of Dacron rope between 
> the boom truss and the boom (vertically) to keep larger birds from 
> trying to land there and damaging the coax.
> I've never had a problem with a large bird trying to land on any of 
> the elements.  Maybe they have tried in the past and have felt that it 
> was unstable.
> They also do not like to be "rotated."   After once or twice they 
> typically go somewhere else.
> Tom, N2SR
>
>      From: "john at kk9a.com" <john at kk9a.com>
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 11:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Birds and the Leaning Tower
>
> Lately a lot of turkey vultures enjoy sitting on my upper antennas.  They
> are fairly large and not very nice looking. I do not think that there is
> any way to keep birds off. If the element turned on the boom you can
> temporary fix it by tossing a rope around the higher end and pulling it
> level. For a more permanent solution you may have to use better 
> clamps. If
> the aluminum physically bent it is either a soft grade or too small. An
> element truss can also help.
>
> GL
> John
>
> my
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-- 

73

Roger (K8RI)


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