Tilt base project getting under way .......

[Superidgit]

Nice Work 359 Really nice work man WTG!!

Just one question you gonna move your fence so incase the horses get an itch they wont use your schnazzy new tower as a scratchin post?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I like the construction of the antenna, but it's a good thing I made the tower tilt because I destroyed the coax about 40' from the antenna(don't ask), so it'll have to be replaced already before I can play it.

Things are looking good but of course since you said not to ask I have too.


Sooooooo................what did you do to the coax?

 

[wavrider]

Lookin good

 

[GnG8d]

Just one question you gonna move your fence so incase the horses get an itch they wont use your schnazzy new tower as a scratchin post?

Nah, I put some of those plastic fence posts in the ground with some electric tape on them around the tower and the one set of guys. It's not hot, but it'll keep them off of it. They are all pretty respecting of fence, no leaners.

Sooooooo................what did you do to the coax?

I got in a hurry plain and simple. It was hot, real hot, we were under a heat advisory and the horse flys were just nasty. So I got everything ready to pull up except the coax. It was still laying in a coil. Instead of walking the coil out, I went ahead and pulled the tower up a bit I guess thinking that I'd pull the coil out a little at a time. Well one of the (unhooked) guys started to lift the coil so I asked my wife to move the turnbuckle (they were just laying on the ground) over closer to give me slack enough to put the coil on the other side of the guy rope. Apparantly she wasn't moving fast enough for me, so I just tossed the coil over the guy. Well, hardline is not so forgiving and when the coil dropped to the other side of the rope it kinked it :w00t:

There is still a small chance that it'll be long enough when I cut the kink out, but I doubt it. She is going to stop at Universal Radio when she gets off work this week and pick up 200' of LMR400. It wouldn't be so bad if I could leave the tower down, but the horses would be into it for sure. The guys, the antenna wire, something. So I have 125' of LMR400 here, 175' of LDF4-50a with a kink and nothing long enough to reach without a splice. I don't really want to be dropping this thing every weekend, so having the 200' piece of LMR400 on hand before taking it back down will be a little insurance. I'll just go ahead and put that up and then decide what to do.

HOWEVER!! On a brighter note, it survived it's first major storm tonight! I was at the plant watching the radar and hearing the reports of trees and structures being damaged from high winds. I had the wife on the phone and she said it was twisting the beam back and forth but otherwise standing proud!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Sounds like you did a good installation. I hear you about the cable. I didn't realize you were using heliax. You really have to watch that stuff and not have any loops in it or it will kink easily as you found out.

 

[GnG8d]

You really have to watch that stuff and not have any loops in it or it will kink easily as you found out.

I just got in a hurry, I did the same thing today with the LMR :headbang

I get a little anxious when this thing is laying horizontal. It finally occurred to me that it wasn't buckling, or swinging, or creaking or anything to be concerned with, it was doing exactly what I wanted it to. So I eventually slowed down a little and got it done right.

It didn't turn out as broad banded as I'd hoped, but it covers CB anyway. And it's not showing any signs what so ever of CMC with no choke or balun what so ever, directly fed with LMR400. So I'm happy about that, now to get my Heliax situation straightened out :glare:

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

i thought heliax wasn't actually hard-line ? that hard-line was called hard-line because it was hard and didn't flex ?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

You are right booty. Heliax is NOT hard line. Hardline is rigid copper pipe as shown in your picture link. Most people wrongly refer to heliax as hardline pretty much the same way as they say that they are QRT and standing by.

True hardline can be a bitch to work with with all the cutting and fitting as well as deburring all the cut edges. Loose metal filings inside hardline will actually vibrate with applied RF and can eventually wear a hole in the outer shield believe it or not. All corners are premade and installed where needed so you really need to do some planning of cable runs when dealing with it. I have installed 3 inch hardline before from two transmitters, a combiner, a dummy load, and a large patch panel and planning the runs so as to minimize corners and splices as well as not having two runs intersect at the same level was a real job. :headbang

i thought heliax wasn't actually hard-line ? that hard-line was called hard-line because it was hard and didn't flex ?

 

[GnG8d]

It may not be true hardline, but with the outer shield being thin copper tubing as opposed to braid, I suppose that's why people refer to it as hardline.