Question about acceptable methods of hanging an antenna

[Anthony Rizzolo]

Ok, Had a little bit of fun this weekend.  I was trying to figure out what I could do about getting my Antenna higher than it was in the tree.

When I looked up I noticed that there was about 5-10 feet of space between the top of the balun and the branch, so I figured, sure, lets get that exta 5-10 ft.  I tugged on the rope holding the Antenna in the tree, there was a little resistance, so heck I tugged a little harder….and SNAP the rope broke of course high enough in the tree that I couldn’t get to it and the Antenna came down.

So, I spent the rest of Sunday throwing a rope up into the tree and hoisting the Antenna up…This time I stopped when I felt resistance.  The good news is that I think the actual Antenna wires had become slack and now they are back to being tight.

So I have a question…Would it be ok to hang the Balun in the tree with something stronger than Rope, such as wire.  Wire would also offer less resistance going over the tree.  I’m thinking this may not work because the extra wire may become part of the Antenna and mess up the tuning, but wanted to ask since it would be much nicer to have it up there with something stronger than rope.

 

[Hamilton]

Mastrand from DX Engineering will not break. 330′ of 2mm is $29 and has a test strenght of 529 lbs. It is very UV resistant. The 3mm is 880 lbs. I use a mixture of both. I find I can pull it out of trees after it has been up for a couple of years.

The 1/8 home depot para cord has a test strenght of 140 lbs, is shot after a year, and the sap gets in it making it impossible to pull out of trees, especially pines. The HRO cord is much better. Mastrand is the best.

I wouldn’t use wire. It is hard to model the impact to your antenna performance and it may be a source of additional noise.

[Hamilton]

PS I have a unopened 330′ spool of 880 lbs test 4mm that you can pick up and order me a replacement via ground shipping since I do not need it soon.

I also have a compressed air spud gun. It will clear the house, the back yard, and then a 110′ pine up the hill. It is easy to aim.

[Anthony Rizzolo]

Thanks Hamilton…I kind of thought the wire was a bad idea.  I will look for the line at DX Engineering.  The Antenna is up so I’m not in that big a hurry but thanks for the offer, I appreciate it.

 

Tony

 

[Nashua Area Radio Society]

Being a snowbird, I have a lot of practice in setting wire antennas here at my Amherst QTH and down in my Salt Springs FL QTH. I use a sling shot (used to use a bow and arrow but that’s a bit scary) and a spinning reel to shoot a small weight attached to a monofilament leader line over any desirable branch, as high as you like. (Sling shot from Harbor Freight.) I tie on a nylon chalk line and “reel” it  up and over the branch, to secure the “pick point”. If its a temporary setup, I tie the antenna end to the chalk line and up it goes, supported by nylon chalk line which I’ve never been able to break. If its for the full season, I use the chalk line to pull up a camo para fixed line with a plastic pulley that is pre threaded with a running line with which I raise and lower the antenna. I get the para cord from True Value County Line Stores in Milford. (They’ll order you a 500 foot spool if you ask them to. I keep a reel on hand here in NH and another at my FL QTH. ) I use mostly LNR end fed antennas so I only need one pick point and pulley set up for these, but I use the same method for raising my G5 Junior, or my 160M OCF with three or four (4) pick points for full support of the ends and the balum. I add at least one pulley and weight at/near ground level in each direction on the running lines to limit tension on the line as the trees move. This methodology may sound complex but it works great for me.

[Fred Kemmerer]

You can also get dacron rope from DXengineering. It very strong and hard to see. I’ve used this stuff to hang many antennas and it works great.

[Anthony Rizzolo]

Thanks Vernon…Yes, I tried the slingshot with a small weight but I seem to not be able to get the thing to work, so it was easier for me to throw it over the branch…

 

[Anthony Rizzolo]

Thanks, Fred.  It seems like the 3 mm dacron rope only will hold about 420 lbs and the same thickness of Mastrant holds about twice that.  That being said, the dacron is a lot cheaper.  I’m not that concerned about the weight of the balun and stuff but it has to be able to support the force when I am raising it.  That being said, the dacron is a lot cheaper and I think I can pick it up at HRO for a little cheaper, so will probably go with 3/32″ (4.7 mm) of the dacron and see how that works out.

 

[Fred Kemmerer]

The Dacron rope is also lighter and more flexible which should help. You might want to go a little larger than 3 mm though.

[Hamilton]

Tony,

Careful, Mastrand has two products at 4mm, the poly MP04100 (880 lb) is $36 for 330′  and  MM04100  4mm Dyneema (1,984 lb) at $136 for 330′.

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/msg-mp04100

I’ve got MP04100 and the HRO rope up in trees. The MP04100 is easier to work with at close to the same price.

[Author]

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