In article ,
Tom Horne wrote:

Since the insulators in question are part of old AB-155 mast kits I have co
ncluded that the chipping is the result of frequent handling during erectio
n and striking of the masts. If I do have to make up new guy assemblies fo
r any of the mast kits I will use plastic insulators in tension rather than
ceramic insulators in compression.

My understanding is that the insulators operate in compression mode
for a good reason - physical safety.

Egg-type insulators actually have the two wire terminations running
through one another (at right angles) separated by the part of the
insulator that's under compression. if the insulator cracks or
shatters or turns to dust, the two interlaced termination loops won't
come apart - you lose the insulation, but the mechanical "locking" of
the two wires together remains. The mast (or whatever you're using)
doesn't lose its guy support.

Insulators "in tension" can snap into two completely separate pieces
(one per wire) and the guy will come un-guyed.

Since guying of an antenna mast can be considered to be a
safety-critical application, it's probably better to continue to use
compression-mode insulators which will "fail physically safe".