It is always worth remembering that, most likely, only the motor lines require
large conductors. Control cables, including the position indicating pots,
relay boxes, and the like may be able to get by with very small conductors. My
tower is 250 feet from the shack, and I do quite comfortably with CAT3 network
cable to control TopTen relay boxes. I did the math, and the voltage drop over
that distance is only a couple of tenths of a volt, particularly since I
parallel the two blue wires to supply the 13 volts.
I also use garden-variety DIN plugs/jacks in my shack entry bulkhead for
control cables, ever since I found out that their individual contacts are each
rated at 1 amp at ~100 volts. The ham standard Jones plugs have always been a
pain for me, with flaky connections common, and are FAR more beef than is
needed for this application.
73, Pete N4ZR
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|