[TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope

[Bob Shohet, KQ2M]

Bill,

Did you use the stock Hygain screw clamps at the end of the telescoping elements or did you use stainless steel hoseclamps like I do?

73

Bob  KQ2M

From: Bill Parry 
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 7:35 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com 
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope

I had a lot of problems with the 155CA and the 105CA.  This was some time ago but I bought them and stacked them at about 90 feet.  Within a couple of months three element ends on the 155 were broken off and the rope was hanging out the ends.  Took it down and replaced the element ends and within a month more element ends were broken off again and this time it was on both antennas. Couldn't afford the take down over and over so I bought then down and put them in the trash pile,  Bought the KLM Big Stick 6 element 15 and 10 and stacked them up with OUT the rope.  They were up till I moved and never had the element problem again.  Same tower and same location.  Wind not a factor because we were having only light winds.

I liked the antenna but just couldn't keep them working.

Bill W5VX

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Neal Sulmeyer
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 5:25 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope

​I have never had any issues with  fatigue on the tapered  element Hy-Gain antennas.  I have had two 105's, a 205 that I converted to 15M (yielding stiffer elements), two 155's and two 204s.  However, at our contest station in the Malibu, California mountains, right off the ocean, was a different story.  All our antennas were home brew and no matter how well we designed the tapers and what thickness the element walls, element fatigue was a serious problem.  We used rope at first, but several time we found broken elements hanging by the ropes!  Our solution was to use "Great Stuff" foam we purchased at Home Depot.  It took a few trails to get the foam to go all the way down the element, the trick being slow and steady.  Never had a problem after that. 



Neal, K4EA (ex AE6E)



On Wed, 06/21/2017 10:22 AM, David Aslin G3WGN <david at aslinvc.com> wrote:
> 
Mindful of Steve's 'Prime Directive' which suggests I absolutely should use the dampening rope in my recently acquired used 155CA, what is the experience of the TowerTalkian brains trust of the need for  the rope in a 155BA/CA at a relatively exposed site?
> 73, David G3WGN  M6O
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> 

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk