On May 19, 1:06*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 16 May 2008 10:39:11 -0700 (PDT), TimShoppa

wrote:

snip...........



The tennis ball cannon I use is very very similar to the CSV19 at
http://www.antennalaunchers.com/and I am very very happy with it.
It's not so much a "point above a crotch in the tree and hope the ball
goes through" but "just shoot the ball and line over the tree".

Tim.

I built the QE-19 from the same site Tim mentioned. *The "air valve"
for it is off-the-shelf so it's a plug-n-play project. *It beats every
fishing rod, bow & arrow, sling shot..... anything I've ever tried
before. *Beats them hands down. *It'll easily clear a 100 foot height
and is accurate after you shoot it a couple times. *It's a little
pricey but that could be spread out if it were to become a club
project.

My impression is that the CSV19, with its modified sprinkler valve,
has a higher muzzle velocity than the QE-19. But overall, I agree
100%, that for me the tennis ball launcher was far and away the best
choice.

I have some friends who are very good with crossbows and they tell me
that I'm wrong, that the crossbow will do the job more reliably and
accurately than my tennis ball cannon, but I don't have a crossbow and
don't really intend to learn how to use one. I don't really want to
shoot arrows into my neighbor's property either. The tennis ball
cannon just made the job so easy, and literally the only gotcha is
that you'll not only send the ball over the target tree, but probably
the trees behind it if you aren't careful. One trick I learned very
quickly: When you see the ball go over the target tree, grab the
fishing line and stop it, then let it go so the ball can just fall
from there. My trees are at the very edges/corners of my property, and
using this trick I was able to ensure that the support lines are also
within the property.

Tim N3QE

On Mon, 19 May 2008 10:25:04 -0700 (PDT), Tim Shoppa
wrote:

On May 19, 1:06*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 16 May 2008 10:39:11 -0700 (PDT), TimShoppa

wrote:

snip...........



The tennis ball cannon I use is very very similar to the CSV19 at
http://www.antennalaunchers.com/and I am very very happy with it.
It's not so much a "point above a crotch in the tree and hope the ball
goes through" but "just shoot the ball and line over the tree".

Tim.

I built the QE-19 from the same site Tim mentioned. *The "air valve"
for it is off-the-shelf so it's a plug-n-play project. *It beats every
fishing rod, bow & arrow, sling shot..... anything I've ever tried
before. *Beats them hands down. *It'll easily clear a 100 foot height
and is accurate after you shoot it a couple times. *It's a little
pricey but that could be spread out if it were to become a club
project.

My impression is that the CSV19, with its modified sprinkler valve,
has a higher muzzle velocity than the QE-19. But overall, I agree
100%, that for me the tennis ball launcher was far and away the best
choice.

I have some friends who are very good with crossbows and they tell me
that I'm wrong, that the crossbow will do the job more reliably and
accurately than my tennis ball cannon, but I don't have a crossbow and
don't really intend to learn how to use one. I don't really want to
shoot arrows into my neighbor's property either. The tennis ball
cannon just made the job so easy, and literally the only gotcha is
that you'll not only send the ball over the target tree, but probably
the trees behind it if you aren't careful. One trick I learned very
quickly: When you see the ball go over the target tree, grab the
fishing line and stop it, then let it go so the ball can just fall
from there. My trees are at the very edges/corners of my property, and
using this trick I was able to ensure that the support lines are also
within the property.

Tim N3QE


A lead weight from a slingshot or an arrow from a bow will clear most
anything if the string is set up correctly. But both are fairly
dangerous coming down if the string breaks. That's the good thing
about the tennis ball cannons, I think they're safer.

I chose the QE-19 because the components were off-the-shelf and
required no modification.

Kingfish

Tim Shoppa wrote:
On May 19, 1:06 pm, wrote:

On Fri, 16 May 2008 10:39:11 -0700 (PDT), TimShoppa

wrote:

snip...........




The tennis ball cannon I use is very very similar to the CSV19 at
http://www.antennalaunchers.com/and I am very very happy with it.
It's not so much a "point above a crotch in the tree and hope the ball
goes through" but "just shoot the ball and line over the tree".

Tim.

I built the QE-19 from the same site Tim mentioned. The "air valve"
for it is off-the-shelf so it's a plug-n-play project. It beats every
fishing rod, bow & arrow, sling shot..... anything I've ever tried
before. Beats them hands down. It'll easily clear a 100 foot height
and is accurate after you shoot it a couple times. It's a little
pricey but that could be spread out if it were to become a club
project.


My impression is that the CSV19, with its modified sprinkler valve,
has a higher muzzle velocity than the QE-19. But overall, I agree
100%, that for me the tennis ball launcher was far and away the best
choice.

I have some friends who are very good with crossbows and they tell me
that I'm wrong, that the crossbow will do the job more reliably and
accurately than my tennis ball cannon, but I don't have a crossbow and
don't really intend to learn how to use one. I don't really want to
shoot arrows into my neighbor's property either.

A very important point. In many areas, firing a crossbow (which is
generally perceived as a lethal weapon) at anything other than a
designated target would set you up for a lot of hassles with the local
constabulary, or worse. The tennis ball launcher (avoid the "cannon"
term..) looks less "weapon-y"

Jim Lux wrote:
... The tennis ball launcher (avoid the "cannon"
term..) looks less "weapon-y"

Not that shoulder fired one that everyone's
been looking at..:-)
http://www.antennalaunchers.com/antlaunching.html

It looks like an RPG. Wander around aiming that
thing at the top of your trees while the
gendarmerie rides past and I'll bet you'll
be asked to "DO IT NOW".


Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke

www.n0eq.com

Lumpy wrote:
Jim Lux wrote:
... The tennis ball launcher (avoid the "cannon"
term..) looks less "weapon-y"

Not that shoulder fired one that everyone's
been looking at..:-)
http://www.antennalaunchers.com/antlaunching.html

It looks like an RPG. Wander around aiming that
thing at the top of your trees while the
gendarmerie rides past and I'll bet you'll
be asked to "DO IT NOW".

Just for added effect, when I made my tennis ball launcher I spray-
painted it yellow and then added black stencils with BIOHAZARD and
FALLOUT SHELTER symbology on. And then I stenciled BUTTERCUP on for
the opposite impression :-).

I'm sure that some people are comfortable with lead weights flying
through the air, or with crossbows. Me, I just happen (perhaps through
lack of ability with the other two - I tried, but failed with
slingshot and crossbow, but the tennis ball cannon worked the first
time!) to be pefectly comfortable with the tennis ball cannon. And it
worked, man it worked. I am so so so happy with the resulting antenna,
100 feet up between two trees.

Tim N3QE