[TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope

Thu Jun 22 15:55:31 EDT 2017

Hi Mike,

I had heard in the past about the Wilson antennas needing to be optimized
but have not looked into it. I have had this thing in storage for several
years and have never had it up, bought it used.

Do you or anyone have any info on optimizing this thing. It is 3 full size
elements and has a 40 foot boom.

Thanks
Gary  K4FMX

> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> Michael Tope
> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 12:05 PM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> 
> Gary,
> 
> I trust you are adjusting the element lengths on that Wilson 3 element
> 40 per some sort of NEC optimized dimensions and not the Wilson factory
> dimensions from the manual? The reason I ask is that at least some
> versions of that design predate W2PV's work on element taper corrections
> and the proliferation of MoM software for desktop computers (e.g.
> MiniNEC, EZNEC, etc). Back when I was in college, I remember Doc Sheller
> WA8ZDF/KN8Z (SK) lamenting that when they plugged the taper schedule for
> his Wilson 3 element 40 into W2PV's taper correction formulas, it came
> up short on the order of a foot from what it needed to be :-(.
> 
> 73, Mike W4EF........
> 
> On 6/21/2017 8:41 PM, Gary Schafer wrote:
> > Hi Wayne,
> >
> > Thanks for the reply. Now I am confused again. Are you saying the 4"
> tail
> > should run into the next size of tubing that the end tube is attached
> to?
> >
> > Why wouldn't you run the rope the full length of the whole element?
> >
> > I have an old Wilson full size 3 element 40 meter beam that I am
> getting
> > ready to put up. I haven't looked at the manual on this for some time
> but as
> > I remember they had a rope in each element that ran the full length of
> each
> > element.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Gary  K4FMX
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf
> Of
> >> Wayne Kline
> >> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 10:04 PM
> >> To: Gary Schafer; 'David Aslin G3WGN'; 'towertalk'
> >> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> >>
> >> Gary,
> >>
> >>
> >> Sorry Gary I mean the end is flush and  glued with RTV and the end
> >> cap... it's the other end that has the 4 inch TAIL. to  have
> dampening
> >> contact with the adjoining  element tube..
> >>
> >>
> >> Wayne W3EA
> >>
> >>
> >> ________________________________
> >> From: Gary Schafer <garyschafer at largeriver.net>
> >> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 10:19 PM
> >> To: 'Wayne Kline'; 'David Aslin G3WGN'; 'towertalk'
> >> Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> >>
> >> If you let the rope stick out 4" from the end of the element and then
> >> place
> >> the end cap on, how does that work?
> >> Or do you mean that once RTV is applied the 4" gets pushed back into
> the
> >> element?
> >>
> >> Thanks
> >> Gary  K4FMX
> >>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf
> Of
> >>> Wayne Kline
> >>> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 7:49 PM
> >>> To: David Aslin G3WGN; towertalk
> >>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> >>>
> >>> I have installed a number of 15 meter beams   and currently  have a
> >>> 5/5/5 stack... I learned  many moons ago that especially the 155
> >>> antenna  has a  wind   resonance. on quit days with certain wind
> speed
> >> (
> >>> not gusty ) you can hear it sing a HIGH note...... Also from the
> >> climbed
> >>> tower the 7/16 " tips   Hover  like a tuning fork.   resulting in a
> >>> metal fatigue @ the face of the taper joint.... The first one I fixe
> >> for
> >>> a client he thought it just slipped out of the  Hy Gain  screw type
> >>> clamp.  Was a CLEAN brake   But a quick look at the manual and parts
> >>> inventory proved to him   it was about 6 inches SHORT !!!   From the
> >>> total length.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>   Any rope will do Polly ,  cotton  cord any  rope to dampen  the
> >>> vibration. as long as it sticks out the total  element length about
> 4
> >>> inches .
> >>>
> >>> I RTV the end and install the cap...
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Wayne W3EA
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ________________________________
> >>> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of
> David
> >>> Aslin G3WGN <david at aslinvc.com>
> >>> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 5:25 PM
> >>> To: towertalk
> >>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> >>>
> >>> Thanks to all for the wisdom, both on and off-reflector.
> >>> Clearly the rope should be used with this antenna, as insurance
> >> against
> >>> the PITA of taking it down to fix a broken element, if for no other
> >>> reason.  And I learned too that the vibrations that lead to element
> >>> failure can be just as easily caused by a low velocity wind as a
> high
> >>> one - so my exposed site is not the real reason to use the rope.
> >>> I also got some very helpful practical suggestions on end cap
> >>> installation and torque balancing the antenna.
> >>> I love this reflector! I'm good to go now with best practice for
> this
> >>> antenna.  Thanks again guys!
> >>> 73, David G3WGN  M6O
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Richard Solomon [mailto:dickw1ksz at gmail.com]
> >>> Sent: 21 June 2017 20:43
> >>> To: towertalk <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
> >>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> >>>
> >>> Whenever I used Poly Rope in the
> >>> elements, I would use Epoxy. First
> >>> at the far end, then tension the rope
> >>> with a weigh and epoxy the near end.
> >>>
> >>> Never had a failure.
> >>>
> >>> Also, did the same on verticals. Never
> >>> needed Guy Ropes on them.
> >>>
> >>> 73, Dick, W1KSZ
> >>>
> >>> On Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 11:08 AM, john at kk9a.com <john at kk9a.com>
> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Hygain uses very thin wall 7/16 diameter element tips attached to a
> >>>> much larger swedged tube. In my experience these elements rattle
> and
> >>>> break with no rope so it is probably a good idea to use it. I do
> not
> >>>> like trapping in water with end caps so perhaps you can fasten the
> >>> rope using a cable tie.
> >>>> John KK9A
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> To:     "towertalk at contesting.com" <towertalk at contesting.com>
> >>>> Subject:        [TowerTalk] HyGain 155CA dampening rope
> >>>> From:   David Aslin G3WGN <david at aslinvc.com>
> >>>> Date:   Wed, 21 Jun 2017 14:22:22 +0000
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> 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
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>
> >>>>
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > TowerTalk at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> 
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