Yes. I first ran into this nearly ten years ago with the first 160/80
dipole that I rigged between trees. Like a dummy, I failed to use an
insulator between the ends of the dipole and the 5/16-in rope. When it
got wet, the rope melted and the dipole was on the ground.
The ends of any wire are a high voltage point, and should be treated as
such. This is also true of radials!
73, Jim K9YC
On Tue,11/29/2016 9:23 AM, Jeff DePolo wrote:
In high-power broadcast, we regularly see burn-outs caused by weather-worn
fiberglass insulators that start to wick up water when it rains. What used
to be mostly RF-transparent when dry becomes lossy when wet, with airborne
contaminants, rust/oxidation, and whatever else aggravating the condition
over time, ultimately leading to arc-over and/or mechanical failure.
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