keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

"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

keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

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

keeping wire antennas up
 

"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 ..

keeping wire antennas up
 

"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?