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[TowerTalk] turnbuckle safety wires

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] turnbuckle safety wires
From: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:06:27 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:48:44 -0400
From: Steve Maki <lists@oakcom.org>
To: towertalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] turnbuckle safety wires

<The typical turnbuckle safety wire is designed to prevent inadvertent 
<unscrewing of the turnbuckle, either from vibration or random vandalism. 
<It's not to support the tower in the event of a turnbuckle failure. That 
<would at least require more than one in-line cable clamp.

<Note: I've NEVER seen a turnbuckle prone to unscrewing itself, but don't 
<consider that a reason to not use them.

<The turnbuckle shouldn't be the weak link in the system anyway. It 
<should be oversized and of good quality to insure that the threads 
<remain in good operating condition.

<-Steve K8LX

##  back in the mid 70s  I had a guyed free standing  tower... and all 3 guy 
terminations were well elevated.
One of them was aprx 12’ above the ground.   One day I find the turnbuckle on 
the ground, wtf ?   Now this
is a case where I had added sections to the tower + a mast, and 3 x yagis,  
hence the 3 x guy wires for some
more support.   Re-installed the turnbuckle, correct tension etc.    Damned 
thing did it again about 4 months later.
Then a 3rd time.  After that, in went my version  of a safety wire.   None of 
us ever did figure why just one of the 3 guy wires
had its turnbuckle work loose.  It was not vandalism either.    I required an 
extension ladder to get to it.   

##  I see some turnbuckles have what appears to be a pal nut or lock nut..+ 
split ring lockwasher + flatwasher. 
One end of the assy is reverse threaded.   I think the idea was then a safety 
wire is not required ? 

Jim  VE7RF



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