[Elecraft] RF in the Trees

[Fred Jensen]

On 6/26/2014 4:24 PM, Slava Baytalskiy wrote:
> I wonder if anyone's ever used a kite in a field to keep a wire
> "up". I see kites a lot in the summer, along belt parkway here in
> Brooklyn and they seem to stay in one place for long periods of
> time. I'm sure one can use 12 or 14 AWG wire and let a kite carry it
> pretty high. Of course you need wind for that but being near water
> (salt water, no less) there's usually wind present. Hmm.....

The original German "Notsender," forerunner of the WW2 Gibson Girl 
emergency beacon [AN/CRT-5] used a folded box kite, launched by a rocket 
from an inflatable raft ... let's see -- rocket in an inflatable raft, 
this conjures up many scenarios, most of them bad.  The CRT-5 operated 
on the Holy Frequency [600 meters] and had a weighted copper braid to 
drop overboard into the salt water, and the ones we had used balloons 
inflated with hydrogen to lift the antenna.  That was problematical in 
anything but a dead calm.  I doubt most kites in most situations would 
handle #12 or even #14 wire, the high part of the wire ends up being a 
long way up toward the kite.
>
> Another idea that may be used to place a wire with a lot of precision
> is one of those RC quadricopters that are becoming wildly popular. A
> little servo "claw" to release the wire or just to place it's apex
> where you want it

Monofilament line, sounds like a great idea!  Pull a Dacron line up and 
then the wire.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org