Had hoped to be able to send a pic, OM, but the list stripped it. I'll
send direct shortly.
Over some thirty years, I've tried all sorts of ways to secure cables to
masts/towers, each and every way, save one, has failed, usually sooner,
rather than later.
Tape, velcro, wire ties/wraps, twist-ties, wire, et cetera, et cetera...
Either the tie fails, or damages the coax, which is worse.
Conditions have ranged from the glaring sun of the desert, to mountain
tops, and on my property, from -25 degrees, to +124 degrees, and winds
to 165+ MPH (fortunately, only once, but 60 is yearly). Rain, hail,
ice, snow, dirt/rock storms, animals (usually wild horses, sometimes
ringtail cats, or raccoons), you name it.
One thing I noticed was "professional" installations use clamps,
something like this:
https://www.voldatech.com/products/feeder-cable-clamps/371.html
This is just an example, there are dozens of types, from small coax to
feedline several inches across.
Not having a source for such things many years ago, I looked at local
hardware stores to see what I could come up with to do the same job. I
came across clamps like this:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-1-4-in-2-in-Bronze-Ground-Clamp-5-Pack-C22DBAG1R/202944396
These range in size from ~1" to several inches across. I picked up a
couple dozen that can handle about a 3" pipe.
Now, looking at the pic in the above link, imagine this clamped onto
your mast, or tower, using a clamp of adequate size, then, secured to
each of the long screws (I use two cables on my mast), a clamp like this:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-Bender-1-2-in-Rubber-Insulated-Clamp-2-Pack-PPR-1550/202875615
The coax is secured within the clamp above, and protected, the clamp
above, secured to the ground clamp, onto the tower.
Additionally, using the bronze ground clamp as a cable clamp, the
single-hole side, the part intended for a ground wire, holds wire rope
for lightning protection. It's a 3-way clamp, coax on one side,
lighting protection on the other! I have two cables that run up the
mast, securely, and isolated, and an air terminal wire rope coming down,
held by the same clamp, to a 10' 3/4 ground rod.
Best yet, the parts are common, inexpensive, and the only thing that has
held up, so far, about a decade, in the worst conditions, without much
of a thought, and a casual glance once or twice a year. So far, NO issues.
I'll send some pics direct shortly, let me know what you think.
Kurt
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