> Gary, WD-1A military field phone wire is strong, lightweght and very
> inexpensive. It is available on E-bay. Be sure to use a spring and
> a
> counter weight at one end to absorb the movement of the branches and
> reduce the friction. This method will also mitigate somewhat the
> tendency for a tree limb to envelope the wire and cause additional
> problems with wind and moving branches.
>
> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
>
Hi Herb,
Yes it is light & rugged and it may be the right solution. I used to
have some for my beverage although it's gone now. The WD-1A I had was
hard to solder well, it was not shiny wire and seemed to have this
oxide layer on it I had to work with. Think it was from the Vietnam
era.
I just can't use springs or pulleys where I'm at. The radial plate is
350' from the house & at the edge of a salt marsh and I have to shoot
with that spud gun, through small openings in the heavy foliage to
just get the wire up there. There's just no place to run a pulley or
spring up so I can't have a counterweight at the end. What I have to
do is tie the rope at the end to a long thin branch on the ground,
one big enough to pretty much stay in place but light enough it can
pull upwards a bit with wind blowing the trees. No way to isolate the
wire from the tree branches & movement at all. All considering I get
a pretty fair signal out but the antenna conditions are pretty
Spartan.
73,
Gary
KA1J
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Topband Reflector
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