WHO HAS LOST ANTENNA'S OVER THE YEARS TO MOTHER NATURE ?

[Switch Kit]

Bob had a thread going on simlar to this , I was just wondering if I was the only one around here to lose a few antenna's to mother nature over the years ? Any pic's ? Could you have did things differently ? ect. ect. I lost 3 5/8 waves and push up poles , watched one fish tail on a Sunday sunny windy day and smash into the ground , not much was left of either pole or antenna . Another time was in a rainy wind storm , snaped the 50 footer and fell in to the high power wires ,dumb $hit me pulled it out by the coax )-: antenna was OK pole was gonzo. and my last fall was in 1997 , went to work and came home to this picture. antenna was OK , pole was gonzo once again . No more shooting for the stars or my pocket book. )-:

 

[Master Chief]

Why is there never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over?

Want to buy a small tower? I have them for sale, CHEAP! I'll even do a trade for one of your radio deals you seem to come up with!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I can truthfully say that over the last 28 years that I have been into radio I have never completely lost an antenna due to the forces of nature. I have lost a longwire once or twice due to ice buildup but never an antenna mounted on a tower or other structure except for a broken insulator on the driver element of my tribander.A simple piece of fiberglass rod solved that.Those 600 foot long spans of wire and even the present 300 foot runs just plain do not want to hold up with an inch of solid ice on them. :? I have run a Wilson Shooting Star on a 40 foot tower on a hilltop with 25 miles to the horizon and never lost it.I presently have a three element tribander for 10-20m,a six element beam for 6m,and an 11 element beam for 2m on the same tower along with an inverted VEE for 80m and a 300 foot long wire antenna and soon to have an inverted L for 80/160m on the tower as well.It has been like that for the last 10 years and even survived Hurricane Juan the night of Sept.28/29 2003.I will admit that I did loose a little sleep over things that night but awoke to a mess in the yard but everything still in place on the tower.

 

[2M Guy]

Poor Little Juan is lost again.

 

[Switch Kit]

to tell you the truth Chief , condo living tells me NO WAY even on a simple mag mount on top of a air conditioner unit . It's been 10 years this year since my last base set up. The mobile does the best it can for me nowadays. Other then skip (which has been rather nil of late) as far as cb goes , all the homeys are pretty much long gone or past away and what is left around me , and only being mobile, doesn't say much as far as the conversation department goes or would I feel the need to waste my time to much on them. I think you can understand that.My passion and memories for the hobby still remain. Will I ever have a shiney ariel in the sky again ? only the Shadow knows , don't see me selling the Condo and moving on very soon so I just accept it for what it is.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Poor Little Juan is lost again.

Well if Juan is going to act like he did the last time he visited he can stay lost.

 

[W5LZ]

If you live in Oklahoma, and you haven't lost an antenna in the last 6 or 7 years, you either haven't been here for that long, or you need to buy me my next lottery ticket.
- 'Doc

 

[Thestonerguy]

re: antenna

No pics, but about 40 years ago I lost a huge Hygain "Long John" 5 element 11m beam in an ice storm.

Woody

 

[Switch Kit]

If you live in Oklahoma, and you haven't lost an antenna in the last 6 or 7 years, you either haven't been here for that long, or you need to buy me my next lottery ticket.
- 'Doc

QRN never lost one in 26 years !! I'd say that was pretty good and or lucky .

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I did have a driver element insulator break on the tribander in 65 mph winds with a heavy ice load but other than a broken longwire that was it.My mast is 2 inch OD steel pipe with a 1/4 inch wall extending 6 feet above the top of the 40 foot Delhi XHD (heavy duty) tower held down by 5 cubic yards of concrete.It's not going any where in a hurry any time soon. I used this very same tower and a similar over-sized base at my former QTH high on the hill.I am now a bit lower but still get the winds roaring up the river valley.I am thankfull I do not get the winds the Carolina's do in hurricane season or tornados of the mid west so I would have to say part of the reason is good judgement and part is just plain luck for not getting the disasterous winds some of you guys get. We do however get the odd hurricane tail end and the very odd direct hit from one.

BTW it was 28 years not 26.

 

[park]

July 10, 1998....lighting strike, a direct hit. It took out one 144 / 440 dual band vertical, two dipoles, scanner antenna and $3500 worth of radios, luckly insurance covered it. Since then a dipole every year or so due to high winds is about it. Matter of fact I am in progress of replacing my 75 meter antenna, ice brought one leg down last week.