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Old October 9th 14, 08:50 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
Lostgallifreyan Lostgallifreyan is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Sep 2006
Posts: 613
Default A cheap wind-up and tilt-over tower?

rickman wrote in :

Why would the wind tend to twist the ladder? Is your antenna highly
asymmetrical? I would be more concerned by the bending forces which can
be very high if the antenna is a considerable distance from the highest
guying point.


Even if the antenna were not symetrical, that bending would cause enough
assymetry to be bad. The only thin tall antenna mast I ever put up long term
was a receiving dipole for VHF, based on a thin angle-section scrap peice
from a a very long discarded shop front sign. It was as thin as a reed, and I
figured out that if I guyed it such that the flex above was countered by the
bowing below, then few gusts would ever cause it much risk. It twisted a lot,
but very gracefully, and despoite storm force widns it stood for fifteen
years until it rotted where it stood. The wind never harmed it, but
corrosion eventually did.