[TowerTalk] The TH7 and Damping Rope

[Don]

Interesting. Got my TH7DX in late '82, maybe early '83. Instructions 
required the damping rope ONLY in the untrapped elements. I missed this 
part when I assembled mine, finally discarded the rope. The antenna has 
been up, down, disassembled, up, down, moved, reassembled and I've never 
used dampening rope. Do use the end caps except for 2 that were lost a 
few years back. Always windy here on the coast and big sustained winds 
in the winter but have never had an element failure. The sole issue I've 
had (besides the really crappy BN-86 balun which was replaced early on) 
was the use of the cheap plated screws inside the traps at the coil ends 
which became a rust ball. I did replacement with SS and the appropriate 
conductive grease on the DE 15M traps (my problem last summer). I need 
to do the other traps this summer.

_I am still looking for advice on how to put the antenna element tubing 
pieces apart._ I used the grey/silver tubing coating that was originally 
supplied with the antenna back when and the tubing to tubing points are 
frozen, solid. Have tried a few things but not heat. Was hoping to pull 
everything apart last summer for a good overhaul, but ran into the 
freeze problem and ran out of time. Fixing the traps was easy. So 
someone must have a good suggestion for getting frozen element tubing 
apart so it can be cleaned and reassembled.

Don W7WLL

Don W7WLL

On 7/20/2019 6:47 PM, K9MA wrote:
> My TH7, assembled according to the manual with ropes and end caps, was 
> up for almost 30 years, with no failures. I do wish I had noticed 
> before I put it up that a few of the parts weren't stainless.
>
> 73,
> Scott K9MA
>
> On 7/20/2019 20:35, Richard Smith wrote:
>> I believe that the rope in the elements, specifically the element 
>> tips, is particular to the Hy-Gain yagis, at least the 20, 15, and 10 
>> meter designs. I have seen a Hy-Gain yagi, a 5 element 15 meter yagi, 
>> with most of its element tips broken off by regularly occurring, but 
>> not huge, winds. The yagi was built without the rope in the element 
>> tips that is shown in the manual for the antenna.
>> I replaced the element tips in 1992, with the rope in the tips per 
>> the instructions in the manual, and did not have any element tips 
>> break off during the next 17 years of service at the same location.
>> Just sharing my experience.
>> 73, Rich, N6KT
>
>