Hi John;
Try mgs4u.com Allen has no required quantities. His fiberglass is the best
I have seen.
Bill Wall antennamartquads.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <tgstewart@pepco.com>
To: "John Pitts" <w7rg@hotmail.com>
Cc: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2001 9:50 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Re: Fiberglass Guy Rod
>
> I used 3/8" black rod manufactured by Polygon in Indiana.
>
> I think someone on the TowerTalk reflector was just looking for others
> interested in purchasing this product. Polygon has a 5000' minimum, but
> they were willing to break it up and drop ship to different locations.
>
> I'm using it on both of my towers. So far no problems at all and it seems
> to be weathering OK.
>
> The advantages of fiberglass over steel are fairly obvious: nonresonant,
> light, high tensile strength.
>
> The disadvantages are perhaps less obvious:
>
> It's delicate:
>
> UV does affect it over time. It's not jacketed like phillystran so it
will
> deteriorate the strength member over time. However, this doesnt seem to
be
> a big concern for 10 to 20 years and if you buy larger than you need by
> calculation, you'll have a lot of room for deterioration before needing
> replacement. 3/8" seems to be a good choice, giving lots of margin in
> strength for any large ham installation and room for some deterioration
> over time. It's available in all sorts of colors, but I chose black as it
> seems to last longer than other colors when used in ropes etc.
>
> It's a soft material and has very little lateral or compression strength.
> You cannot store this material in a coil for a long period of time or even
> a short period of time in heat or sunlight. It will delaminate and break
> in short order and will be ruined. The polyester resin is very soft and
> will not hold up to abrasion well. You cannot allow anything to get close
> to rubbing on it (trees, wires, etc) or it will get damaged. If you get
> it, it'll be in an 8 foot coil shipped by freight up to 1500' long,
> (however 1500' only weighs 150 lbs)! You must uncoil it immediately and
> lay it out in fairly straight runs with very gentle curves on the ground
to
> prevent cracks/breaks from forming over time. I dont think I'd use this
> material in areas with sandstorms or anywhere near trees.
>
> Other considerations:
>
> -Wear gloves!
> -You need at least 2 people to unroll it. Do this by rolling the coil
> along the ground, being very careful to keep the coil under control and
> together. You must do this on grass or other soft surface to prevent
> scraping the rod. Again, it's a very soft material, so it will abraid
very
> easily. DANGER! DO NOT try to uncoil this material while it's laying
flat
> on the ground! Fiberglass rod has tremendous spring energy and it WILL
> hurt you if you lose control of it. We had a local ham chip a tooth when
> the end whipped around and hit him in the mouth.
> -Use vibration dampners - PPL makes the Glasgrips for fiberglass rod and
> they also make a plastic spiral vibration dampner that should be placed on
> at least one end of each guy. Because the fiberglass rod is a smooth
round
> surface, it'll vibrate like crazy in the slightest breeze if you dont use
> them. Be sure and use heavy duty thimbles with the grips.
> -For cutting, put a couple wraps of tape on the cut mark to prevent
> splitting and use a hacksaw with a fine tooth blade. It cuts quite
easily.
> DO NOT use wire cutters!
> -It is recommended that you use traditional steel guys up to 20 feet above
> ground level and then transition to the fiberglass so you dont have the
> relatively delicate fiberglass down where it can get hit/cut, etc., and
> also for fire damage considerations.
>
>
> Bottom line:
>
> It's wonderful stuff to use once you know how to use it, work with it,
etc.
> It is so much lighter than steel, with or without insulators, that ground
> handling and installation is a pleasure. Cost is much cheaper than
> Phillystrand and perhaps cheaper than steel if you are using a lot of
> insulators.
>
> However, it requires great care in handling and special installation
> considerations.
>
>
> Disclaimer: This information is worth exactly what you paid for it! It's
> based on my personal experiences and I assume no liability for its
content.
>
> Ty K3MM
>
>
>
>
>
> "John Pitts"
> <w7rg@hotmail To: tgstewart@pepco.com
> .com> cc:
> Subject: Fiberglass Guy Rod
> 02/23/2001
> 07:41 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hello Ty:
>
> I read about your antenna system last fall on the WX0B site -
> identical to my No. 2 tower (w/ KT34XA's) except for the guy cable.
>
> I'm now preparing for a third tower installation, and was
> thinking about the fiberglass guy rod you have used as an
> alternative to Phillystran. I might like to try it on tower
> No. 2 and No.3
>
> Could you tell me please who is the manufacturer of this
> material, and how to contact them?
>
> Any other comments on your experience with the fiberglass rod
> would be appreciated.
>
> Thank you much.
>
> John W7RG
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