Here is what I use.
The WI6X Tennis Ball Release System for Placement of Antenna Halyard Lines
DJI Phantom 4 drone
Tennis ball
5-feet 14 AWG wire
Electrical tape
Ceramic egg insulator
6x6 bright colored cloth
Enough Dacron line to go up and over tree
Cut a 2-3 inch slit in the tennis ball.
Drill through the opposite side of the tennis ball and push the wire through
the ball.
Twist about five turns the two ends of the wire to the middle of each of the
two skids on the drone and tape over the connection.
Now you have a ball suspended by wire about two feet below the drone. The wire
acts like a stand-off for the Dacron halyard line.
Tie the egg insulator to the Dacron line leaving about 8-inches of line at the
tail end of the line.
Tie three to six half-hitch knots on the tail of the line. The slit in the ball
will pinch the knot.
Tie the colored flag to the line on the opposite side of the egg insulator.
Pinch the tennis ball and open the slit allowing the slit to pinch the knot at
the end of the line. Do NOT put the whole knot inside the ball. The knot needs
to pop out when the line is held taught.
Have a helper hold the spool of Dacron or spread out your length of line in a
zig-zag so the line can freely be pulled up by the drone.
Test the knot release tension by flying the drone straight up with the line
then have an assistant hold the line taught. The tension should pop the knot
out of the slit in the ball allow the egg insulator and colored cloth to fall
to the ground. Tie a bigger knot in the line if the knot pops out prematurely.
Fly the drone up and over the desired tree. Use the drone’s camera and an
assistant’s second set of eyes. Fly it it beyond the tree top far enough so
that the end of the line will fall to the ground.
When the drone is in position, have your assistant hold the line taught.
Continue to fly the drone past the tree until the knot pops out of the slit in
the tennis ball.
The egg insulator weights the end of line so it and the colored cloth fall to
the ground. The colored cloth helps you find the end of the line.
Fly the drone back and land.
Jim WI6X
> On Oct 17, 2020, at 14:14, Don <w7wll@peak.org> wrote:
>
> I've seen past posts about the use of drones for antenna work.
>
> While interesting reads at the time, I wasn't there, so didn't bother to file
> 'em away.
>
> Now I'm interested. Particularly, how were you able to 'release wires' over
> trees etc (the methods used to drop those wires)? Did the drone have a quick
> release option or accessory that made it usable for the task.
>
> If your drone purchase was recent. I'd also be interested in recommendation
> of brands and models you found best suited for this kind of task (among its
> normal uses), whether it was the one you purchased or not.
>
> Don W7WLL
>
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