Hi John,
Bow and arrow have proven to be the best method for me in our woods.
Metal arrow is drilled at the bowstring-end, and eventually tie a run of 20#
monofilament fishing line. The leading tip of the arrow is removed and replaced
with a fishing weight, which then is epoxied and heat-shrunk. Spray the arrow
with day-glow marking paint.
Compound bow can be cheap. Doesn't have to be a multi-pulley, expensive job. I
use a 35# bow and have used the combination with the weighted arrow and
monofilament to achieve dipole installations at 60-70 feet in height.
I endorse the use of marine rope to minimize weather deterioration. I prefer to
use pulleys at both ends of a dipole or one in the center of an inverted vee.
This allows me to easily raise and lower to trim the antenna to frequency, and
to occasionally inspect the coax, since that takes a lot of flex in a dipole
configuration.
Pick your branch, shoot your monofilament. Use that to then bring back your
marine grade rope and pulley. The pulley should be a swivel type, marine grade
or other weather-resistant, and the channel should match the size of rope. I
use 3/8." Install a piece of old garden hose on the first five feet of the rope
leading up to the pulley. This protects the tree.
Now pull the pulley rope up to the branch, bounce the hose over the branch, and
allow yourself about a foot or two lateral distance from the pulley to the
branch. As it goes up, keep the other two lengths untangled as they all go up
to that branch. One end of the service rope becomes your end insulator, the
other is how you'll raise and lower the antenna on that side.
Repeat for the other side.
Center supported inverted vee is the same deal, one pulley, two ropes, but you
tie off the unstressed ends of the antenna without needing a lot of load
mitigation. The pulley rope, sheathed with garden hose, stays in place, while
the second rope raises and lowers the vee for trimming, coax inspection, etc.
Hope helpful.
--Paul/VJB
______________________________________________________________
Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net
AMRadio mailing list
Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/
List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html
List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio
Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net
To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with
the word unsubscribe in the message body.
This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
