G3YXM wrote:
> I sympathise about the insulators, with QRO it's a battle just to
> keep things running...
Keen subscribers to this group may remember that my cable-tie
insulators failed last weekend, and that I assumed this was due to
them becoming brittle in the sub-zero temperatures.
I took the mast down on Sunday and found that the insulators had
been sparking and had burnt through. Since they had worked fine
up to then, I assume this was because they were coated in ice and
snow. I have replaced them with 100mm lengths of 5mm thick
perspex (that's Plexiglass for those divided by our common
language) cut from a large piece that I picked up at the Puckeridge
LF site. I did wonder whether the cable ties had been sparking
before they became iced up, and expected to see an increase in
current at the feed point caused by an increased voltage at the far
end. However, there was no change so cable ties make perfectly
good insulators when not icy.
I have taken some photographs of the dead insulators, and will post
on my web site soon.
Mike, G3XDV (IO91VT)
http://www.lf.thersgb.net
|
