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Tam/WB2TT wrote:
If you live anywhere near water, a boat shop might be a good source for rope that will withstand weather and UV. Think of all the rope on a sail boat. I haven't checked prices. Ironically, polypropylene rope, the very worst kind for UV, is often sold as water ski tow rope and for other marine applications, because it floats. So check the label carefully. A friend of mine once built an 80 meter vertical from PVC pipe, with a wire inside or outside of it. Being an analytical sort of person, he carefully calculated the wind loading, allowing for the 100+ MPH winds not uncommon in his area of Colorado. Then he selected guy rope of the required strength, with a hefty safety margin. It worked fine for about 6 months, then the antenna fell over on a day when there was only a slight breeze. Mystified, he inspected the antenna and found that he could pull the rope apart with his bare hands. That was when he, and I, learned about polypropylene rope and sunlight. Of course, his location at about a mile elevation and where the sky is clear 300 or so days per year was a particularly harsh environment for plastic as well as for fair-skinned people. I got away with using the stuff for a couple of years here in western Oregon. But there are a lot better choices. Roy Lewallen, W7EL |
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