[TowerTalk] Repairing/replacing a damaged feedline

[Bob Shohet, KQ2M]

Hi Stan,

Thank you for your email and excellent suggestions.  In the interest of time I am replacing the entire feedline now but will replace it with hardline in the immediate future for the reasons that you suggest.

Tnx & 73

Bob  KQ2M


From: Stan Stockton 
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2019 11:01 AM
To: Bob Shohet, KQ2M 
Cc: TowerTalk at contesting.com 
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Repairing/replacing a damaged feedline

I would make a trip to the CATV providers in the area and see if I could get free hardline, replace it with something less likely to ever have a problem, match the antenna to 75 ohms at antenna feed point and back to 50 ohms on the shack end if you believe necessary. 

Less loss, less likely to get damaged by critters and free!


They gave given me dozens of reels of 3/4" hardline with 300 or more feet on each reel.  A little sweet talk is all that was required.

73...Stan, K5GO

On Sun, Mar 24, 2019, 8:00 PM Bob Shohet, KQ2M <kq2m at kq2m.com> wrote:

  Hi,

  Today I noticed that my 160 feedline which is a ~ 325’ feet long run of Buryflex, had lots of critter teeth marks in two main areas.  Clearly the coax in these areas is damaged beyond repair.

  Starting at the feedpoint of the 160 Inverted L, the first 25’ runs downhill and is pristine with no critter teeth holes.  Then they start to appear and run off and on for the next 100’ or so.  The is enormous damage at the 100’ mark – about 75’ from where they start appearing, and from start to finish, the length of critter damaged cable is ~ 100’.  This entire area is on flat ground.

  My understanding is that foam tends to wick up moisture but for how far on flat ground?  Can it wick 25’?  50’? 100’? The entire length of the buryflex?  I don’t want to wind up using and damaged or deteriorated cable but I don’t want to needlessly waste 150’ – 200’ of potentially good coax

  The coax run is ~ 6 years old so aside from the critter damage and any possibly wicked up moisture, the rest of the cable still has many potential years of life left.

  So my question is – should I just replace the entire 325’ Buryflex feedline?  Or does it make sense to replace the the 100’ damaged area plus an additional “safety” area of ~ 50’ for a total of 150’?

  Tnx & 73

  Bob KQ2M
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