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Re: [TowerTalk] Birds on antennas

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Birds on antennas
From: "Jim Jarvis" <jimjarvis@comcast.net>
Reply-to: jimjarvis@ieee.org
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 19:43:02 -0400
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
There have been a lot of comments, but this topic is not much
different from birds on sailboats...  so here goes:

*  Birds are smart.  Plastic owls are not.  Not even when their
        little heads bob, and they face North.  They don't work,
        at least, not for long.

*  CD's seem to....a string of them between the headstay and mast,
        and somewhere aft, or along the lifelines, seems to work.
        The reflections annoy the birds.  But they wll probably be
        altogether too visible and annoying for humans, as well.

*  Safety reasons seem to preclude shooting 'em.  Yet, air rifles
        or pellet guns might have sufficiently limited range to be
        effective.  Or, possibly slingshots.  Check your local laws
        regarding weapons discharge, and see what the police recommend.

        The head of public works in a town I lived in got really pissed
        off at the birds on a tree over his pool....so he persuaded them
        to leave.  Unfortunately, the neighbors didn't take kindly to the
        weapons discharge,  and he no longer works where he lives.  They
        didn't prosecute...but he had to resign.  

*  Loose tubing is an interesting idea.  But unless you can cover
        the entire antenna with it, birds will eventually figure out 
        what's not going to dump them every time they land. 

*  How about shooting paper wads from a shotgun?  Should be safe..
        particularly if cleared with law enforcement in advance.
        Question is whether they'd carry to the tower top.

*  and finally...I was requested to shoot a bow and arrow over a tree,
        in Chevy Chase MD, in order to properly elevate a 160m antenna.
        After some inspection, I declined.  It's a weapon...and discharge is
        illegal.  Entirely too suburban to avoid hitting something unintended.

N2EA
jimjarvis@ieee.org 

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