Tam wrote:

"Richard Clark" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:36:01 -0800, "Juan M."
wrote:

This system works fine until our winter storms kick in. Often,
during those
storms, a tree will lose a limb or two and take the antenna down with
it. I
am then left with a halyard tied to an insulator 50 ft or more above the
ground with no way to get the insulator back down short of hiring
another
costly climber.

Does anyone have any solutions to this problem?

Hi John,

From Rain City (Seattle). I did this in a Maple forest. I did mine
with pulleys top and bottom with a continuous loop like a flag pole. I
then passed up another pulley on that loop for the runner holding the
wire antenna. Then I made sure it would break at the wire connection,
not the rope. The continuous loop always gave me access to the pulley
that the antenna rope passed through.

Just be sure the two ropes coming off the pulley don't gett tangled up
with each other. Mine did

I used a two liter bottle of
water to ballast and tension the wire pulley system.


This also works. As the tree sways back and forth, you don't want the
wire to keep moving. I brought the fixed end of the rope some distance
from the tree, and fastened it to half of a cinder block laying on the
ground. The cinder block will move to give you slack, but not move back
when the branch moves in the other direction.

I've often used window sash weights. There isn't much call for 'em
these days and they can often be found at yard sales and flea markets
for next to nothing. If you can't find them, try using a quart milk
carton filled with concrete mix. After you've filled the container with
the concrete, place a large fender washer on the end of a three or four
inch long eye bolt, add a nut and stick it in the concrete. A pencil
through the eye will hold it in position until the concrete cures.

Afterward, it is simple to peel away the waxed paper carton. The
concrete can be painted some neutral color.

Dave K8MN