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#1
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A problem seeking a solution.
I live in a wooded area of the Pacific Northwest with dozens of fir trees of 100 ft or more in height that make wonderful supports for high dipoles and other wire antennas. These particular trees have very few limbs at anything below the 60 ft level so using a crossbow or slingshot for installation is not practical. I have been forced to employ a professional tree climber to install the eyebolts and halyards. Using this system, the antennas can be raised and lowered for maintenance or modification. 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? 73, John AE7P |
#2
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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. I used a two liter bottle of water to ballast and tension the wire pulley system. Think FUSE. Choose your point of failure, don't let it happen. 73's Richard Clark, KB7QHC |
#3
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![]() "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. Tam/WB2TT Think FUSE. Choose your point of failure, don't let it happen. 73's Richard Clark, KB7QHC |
#4
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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 |
#5
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On Jan 18, 3:36 pm, "Juan M." wrote:
A problem seeking a solution. I live in a wooded area of the Pacific Northwest with dozens of fir trees of 100 ft or more in height that make wonderful supports for high dipoles and other wire antennas. These particular trees have very few limbs at anything below the 60 ft level so using a crossbow or slingshot for installation is not practical. I have been forced to employ a professional tree climber to install the eyebolts and halyards. Using this system, the antennas can be raised and lowered for maintenance or modification. 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? Install continuous loops through all your pulleys rather than "halyards". Hauling one side of the loop hoists the insulator and hauling the other side of the loop brings it back down to where you can work on it. Regardless of the condition or fates of wires suspended between pulleys. An aside you might check out: Really nice pulleys: http://www.harkenstore.com/uniface.urd/SCCYSPW1 w3rv |
#6
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On Jan 19, 12:10 am, Brian Kelly wrote:
On Jan 18, 3:36 pm, "Juan M." wrote: A problem seeking a solution. I live in a wooded area of the Pacific Northwest with dozens of fir trees of 100 ft or more in height that make wonderful supports for high dipoles and other wire antennas. These particular trees have very few limbs at anything below the 60 ft level so using a crossbow or slingshot for installation is not practical. I have been forced to employ a professional tree climber to install the eyebolts and halyards. Using this system, the antennas can be raised and lowered for maintenance or modification. 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? Install continuous loops through all your pulleys rather than "halyards". Hauling one side of the loop hoists the insulator and hauling the other side of the loop brings it back down to where you can work on it. Regardless of the condition or fates of wires suspended between pulleys. An aside you might check out: Really nice pulleys: http://www.harkenstore.com/uniface.urd/SCCYSPW1 FUBAR'd link. Sorry. Try | http://www.harkenstore.com catalog small boat blocks classic blocks bullet blocks See #082,098,166,183 w3rv |
#7
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Tam wrote:
... 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. Tam/WB2TT Think FUSE. Choose your point of failure, don't let it happen. 73's Richard Clark, KB7QHC A couple of decades ago, I experimented with the "cylinder" (don't know the correct term for it) from a screen door. This is the device which allows the door to be opened quickly and then to close slowly. There is an adjustment on it which allows this action to be speeded/slowed. I remember that I ended up with 3 or four in series. The final "fail safe" was a weight which would move to prevent damage to the antenna. It worked until I went on to other antennas ... I am surprised no antenna manufacturer has designed a device more suitable but along the same lines. Regards, JS |
#8
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I haven't had any problems using a weight, through a pulley, to hold a
wire antenna up. If that weight really gets to bouncing on the end of that line, I figure it isn't quite heavy enough, or the tree is moving so much the antenna isn't gonna stay up anyway (just hope the tree does). - 'Doc |
#9
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![]() "Brian Kelly" wrote in message ... On Jan 18, 3:36 pm, "Juan M." wrote: A problem seeking a solution. I live in a wooded area of the Pacific Northwest with dozens of fir trees of 100 ft or more in height that make wonderful supports for high dipoles and other wire antennas. These particular trees have very few limbs at anything below the 60 ft level so using a crossbow or slingshot for installation is not practical. I have been forced to employ a professional tree climber to install the eyebolts and halyards. Using this system, the antennas can be raised and lowered for maintenance or modification. 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? Install continuous loops through all your pulleys rather than "halyards". Hauling one side of the loop hoists the insulator and hauling the other side of the loop brings it back down to where you can work on it. Regardless of the condition or fates of wires suspended between pulleys. An aside you might check out: Really nice pulleys: http://www.harkenstore.com/uniface.urd/SCCYSPW1 w3rv Juan you see, they luring you to buy expensive stuff, don't buy! be smart! Art is right! same gang .. |
#10
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![]() "Brian Kelly" wrote in message ... On Jan 19, 12:10 am, Brian Kelly wrote: On Jan 18, 3:36 pm, "Juan M." wrote: A problem seeking a solution. I live in a wooded area of the Pacific Northwest with dozens of fir trees of 100 ft or more in height that make wonderful supports for high dipoles and other wire antennas. These particular trees have very few limbs at anything below the 60 ft level so using a crossbow or slingshot for installation is not practical. I have been forced to employ a professional tree climber to install the eyebolts and halyards. Using this system, the antennas can be raised and lowered for maintenance or modification. 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? Install continuous loops through all your pulleys rather than "halyards". Hauling one side of the loop hoists the insulator and hauling the other side of the loop brings it back down to where you can work on it. Regardless of the condition or fates of wires suspended between pulleys. An aside you might check out: Really nice pulleys: http://www.harkenstore.com/uniface.urd/SCCYSPW1 FUBAR'd link. Sorry. Try | http://www.harkenstore.com catalog small boat blocks classic blocks bullet blocks See #082,098,166,183 w3rv ye, ye u cant sell this stuff? |
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