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Re: LF: Ceramic insulators.

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: LF: Ceramic insulators.
From: "Mike Dennison" <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 11:56:08 -0000
In-reply-to: <[email protected]>
References: <000501bf427d$7821f5e0$092c893e@h9h2t8>
Reply-to: [email protected]
Sender: <[email protected]>
Mike, I seem to remember you saying you made great improvements to your
antenna current by getting rid of plastic insulators. I'm wondering if
looped tie-wraps would be strong enough as there is quite a lot of
tension in each section of my antenna.


Well, I originally used a white plastic water pipe wrapped with black plastic tape as a spreader for the three top wires. The plastic tape was used to make the spreader less visible to keep the neighbours happy. When the current was disappointingly low, I added the looped cable ties between the wires and the spreader, and improved the insulation and the current. As for strength, the weak point of a cable tie is the plastic ratchet and I do not rely on it. I tie a knot in the free bit of the tie after it has gone through the ratchet, then wrap that part of it with tape. Rik suggests that UV may cause deteoration which is certainly worth bearing in mind, though it would not break the bank to replace them every year. If you use two, or even three, the effective insulation increases dramatically as the area of contact between them is very small. I use them in pairs and notice no difference in the current, wet or dry.

Do not use plastic twine - I did this and wondered why the antenna fell down every time I keyed the transmitter in the rain. The plastic simply melted!




Mike, G3XDV (IO91VT)
http://www.dennison.demon.co.uk/activity.htm



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