[Antennas] Re: Birds

[Tom Norris]

Phil, birdies don't like unsteady footing.  Split loom large enough  
to fit loosely on your dipole should do the trick. Cut it into one  
foot pieces or so.  Another thing they hate are sticky surfaces -  
there is a spray I use on a couple of my more "popular" gathering  
places and it seems to have discouraged about 90% of the birds from  
hanging out and gossiping.  I believe the product is called  
"Tanglefoot" Probably anything that stays sticky even after being  
baked by the sun would work.  Mastic maybe? Just a little strategic  
stripe, maybe.  Double barreled pellet gun pointing each direction  
from the center? hehe

Not sure how it would load the antenna as far as weight.

Suppose you could put up a test "roost" to see what works.




> Hi All,
>
> In the not too distant future I'm planning on installing a  
> Cushcraft D3
> (20, 15 & 10M) rotatable dipole.  Of course birds absolutely LOVE  
> to sit
> on antennas.  It must keep their little toes warm in the winter :-)
>
> I've even seen them SOMEHOW manage to hang onto the fairly steeply
> sloped wires of my two Inverted Vees (half sized G5RV and 15M Inverted
> Vee's).