[TowerTalk] Lead-Shot Counterweight

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

I too use split nuts for all connections on the wire antennas. Solder 
does not last long at all around here.

My 5 C3i Yagi antennas (two 11L 440, Two 12L 144, and one 7L 6-meter) 
use a coax match. I'm not sure how long the solder joints lasted on the 
coax matching sections, because they were unused for about 4 years. They 
had been up less than 10 years and when taken down, all the solder 
joints but one had failed. They had at least 3 coats of clear Krylon 
when put up.  The 144 and 440s are not going to be put back up. I hope 
to mount the 7L 6-meter C3i about 10' above the C19XR on the LM470.  
When I put the 7L 6-meter ant back up, it's going to get several coats 
of liquid electrical tape instead of the clear Krylon.

73

Roger (K8RI)

On 9/24/2016 Saturday 3:32 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On Sat,9/24/2016 9:45 AM, Steve Jones wrote:
>> My full-sized 80M dipole is strung between two Douglas firs.  At the 
>> end of
>> the rope over the pulley at one end I use a gallon paint thinner can 
>> with
>> the top cut off and filled with concrete.  It rides up and down in 
>> the wind
>> and keeps the dipole taught.  Maybe it could use a little more 
>> weight, like
>> a second such paint can.
>
> My 80/40 fan dipoles are up about 140 ft and fed with RG11. Trees 
> supporting one of the dipoles are about 200 ft apart, the other about 
> 145 ft. It takes a lot of weight to avoid excessive droop. Ropes at 
> both ends go through a pulley, one end is tied off, the other end has 
> the weight, which is a 13 gallon water jug filled with dry sand. 
> Weight is about 90#
>
> The 80M element, which carries the tension, is #10 stranded THHN on 
> one antenna and #9 hard drawn copper on the other. The 40M element is 
> #12 THHN. The support rope on the longer run is 7/16-in Synthetic 
> Textiles, the rope on the shorter run is 5/16-in.
>
> These antennas have been up about 9 years. Mechanical connections and 
> the rope are the weak spots. I've had no failures on the main support, 
> but did have one side of the 40M element break loose from it's 
> connection at the center. When I dropped that antenna to repair it, I 
> rebuilt it to replace the #10 THHN with the hard drawn copper. The 
> other antenna still has #10 THHN for 80M.
>
> As to mechanical connections. Solder is a VERY BAD idea for wires 
> outside, especially if the soldered segment of the wire can flex or 
> vibrate. My electrical and mechanical connections are made using 
> split-bolt copper connectors. I loop the wire through the mechanical 
> support at the center insulator, strip enough that it 3-4 inches is 
> exposed, and use two split bolts to secure it. The split bolt closest 
> to the center has the wire going to the feedline. At the far end, I 
> use either two split bolts or two U-clamps (with an egg insulator).
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
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-- 

73

Roger (K8RI)


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