[TowerTalk] Polygon Guy Rods

[Wayne Kline]

John,



IMHO PhillyStran has it’s place in tower installations  BUT  you must consider the site for  abrasion. It and polyrod  will fail  in that invroment.



Even EHS 3/16 , ¼ and  5/16  will fail  under  fallen tree /limb contact…  Ask BGN  or IPK  At IPK’s QTH the PLP  1/4 “ guy grip was still wrapped around the ROHN thimble  BUT the EHS was  pulled out and upon examining the EHS the wrap twist was no longer that but pulled  almost straight .  Yes it was a BIG tree 36”  dia oak and contacted the top layer of guys mid way , snapping two legs of the R-25  ay 50 ft   resulting in crushing the one intact leg  down ( read wrinkles  in the crushed leg then bending it 160 DEG. Down. And the rest of the tower resting at a 60 deg angle.  I assume  this is a worse case  senero  Tees and towers do not MIX



Wayne W3EA



PS yes we cut the remaining guys and let the tower fall  with the weight of the tree    bolt cutters to the rescue



Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10



________________________________
From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of Jon Zaimes via TowerTalk <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, September 6, 2019 1:57:44 PM
To: 'Tim Duffy' <k3lr at k3lr.com>; 'Ron WV4P' <wv4ptn at gmail.com>; 'towertalk' <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Polygon Guy Rods

I had my first Phillystran failure here not long ago. It was one of the guys
on my 160-meter (K3LR array!) vertical driven element, and broke when a
loblolly pine limb fell on it. The limb, which broke off and fell about 10
feet to hit the guy, later was weighed at about 100 pounds. The Philly had
been purchased in 1978 and used at four different  QTH's over its 41 year
life. Phillystran's website says lifespan is 25 or more years; so maybe
practical lifespan is somewhere in between those numbers. Maybe even a new
piece would break if such a limb hit it.

Phillystran also is susceptible to chafing if tree limbs come in contact
with it. I had used a number of pieces which originally were in the clear
when the towers were installed 20 years ago, but as trees grew limbs came
into contact and chafed through the outer sheathing. Once the inner Kevlar
is exposed to UV rays, it may break down. In addition to a major tree
trimming and removal this year to avoid such contact, I've also replaced
most of the Phillystran on my seven towers with EHS steel with insulators at
non-resonant lengths.

73/Jon

Jon P. Zaimes, AA1K
Tower climber for hire
http://www.aa1k.us/
Cell: 302-632-2353

Reviews of AA1K tower work on eham website:
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/12922

Hug your favorite tower every day, and always stay connected to it.

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Tim Duffy
Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2019 8:03 PM
To: 'Ron WV4P' <wv4ptn at gmail.com>; 'towertalk' <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Polygon Guy Rods

I participated in a group buy of Polygon Rod in the late 1980s. Quite a
learning curve.

Even UV stabilized is only good for about 10 years - then needs replaced.
Difficult to work with.

I had one Polygon rod guy break mid span on my 40 meter tower (it was 5
years old). That was the end.

Just finished this summer getting all of the Polygon rod replaced with
Phillystran on the tall towers at K3LR. Properly maintained and inspected
Phillystran with the appropriate preformed line grip terminations should
last 30 plus years - no breaks or surprises so far with Phillystran.

73
Tim K3LR

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Ron
WV4P
Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2019 7:32 PM
To: towertalk
Subject: [TowerTalk] Polygon Guy Rods

Is it still possible to do the group buys on the Polygon pultrusion
fiberglass rods ? Any Interest ? I have several towers going up soon and
could use some. Ron WV4P _______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
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