[TowerTalk] Polyrod

[cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

Interesting comments on Polyrod.  I was part of a BIG buy back in the early 2000s.  Several of us on Towertalk got together and bought 10000-15000 feet of 5/16.  Back then, with shipping my 5000 feet came out to less than 50 cents a foot.  Getting grips was easy enough from PLP.  However, there was a $500 minimum and you had to get a box of 25.


I've used the stuff on three different stations, two in FL and one at my present station in KH6.  The tales of guys getting whacked when unrolling it is hard for me to uinderstand.  It comes in an 8 foot diameter "hula hoop".  Unwinding it is quite easy as there is no spring tension  like with EHS.  It was just a matter of walking around the "hula hoop" on the ground to unspool it.  The only two caveats:  be careful not to snap it and wear gloves.


Although Tim notes a break in his stuff, I never had a problem.  Mine was used to guy 200 ft Rohn 55 and 65 towers.  The stuff does get a little fibrous  after being in the FL sun for 10 years...just on the very  surface, not deep at all.


As far as customer service, Polyrod is great.  On my last station in FL one of the rolls was short 200 feet.  I called and notified them and within a week they shipped the 200 feet at no charge.


At a fraction of the price of Philly, it is a winner.  Last time I checked the minimum order was 1000 ft.  However, the grips from PLP are subject to a $500 minimum order.  Of course you can satisfy that by getting a box of other grips that you will use for the EHS pig tails and sell the rest of that lot.  That's what I did.


Bill K4XS/KH7XS