[K3CAL] Reward Offered

[Matt Orr]

[cid:fad129d8-c9f2-4bd9-8eac-76d52cba62d0]

If you can get a new piece of rope over the one you want cut, then pull this saw up and over it, cut the rope with this saw.



________________________________
From: k3cal-bounces at mailman.qth.net <k3cal-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Shawn Donley <n3ae at comcast.net>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2024 7:39 PM
To: K3CAL Reflector <k3cal at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [K3CAL] Reward Offered

I know ham radio operators like a challenge, so here's one with a reward attached.

Most of us ask for help to get an antenna back in the tree.  I'm looking for help to get one OUT of a tree so that I can get it up higher.

A $50.00 reward is offered to anyone that can successfully get the end of this wire antenna on the ground in one piece, or at worst, with a foot or less of wire missing.

Any method is allowed provided:

1.  It doesn't present a safety risk to you, me or my neighbors.
2.  It doesn't start the tree, house or woods on fire.
3   It doesn't cause the police to arrive at my door.
4.  It doesn't involve explosives or firearms.
5.  It doesn't create in international incident or start an alien invasion.

Sorry...I can't be responsible for anything YOU get stuck in the tree during the attempt.  But I'll return it if it ever falls to the ground.

Here's what happened to cause the problem (don't do this at home).  I have a 40M extended double Zepp (EDZ) up between two trees.  I had another wire antenna nearby that came down.  Silly me...I figured that if I used the support rope for that other antenna as a backup to the EDZ support I'd be better off.  Two ropes tied to the end insulator....what could go wrong.  Mistake.  In high winds, only one of the two lines tends to carry tension, letting the other one whip around and get impossibly tangled around the tree branches.  Both ropes go over pulleys.  One still moves...the other is hopelessly tangled around branches.

Two pictures are attached.  One of the whole tree with a hard-to-see red circle around the area where the antenna end insulator is located.  The other picture is a closeup of the mess.

If you can successfully sever rope #1, the antenna can be lowered.

Severing rope #2 (the one that still moves over its pulley) solves nothing.

If you crack the insulator in half, the antenna may not lower down since the offending stuck rope is twirled around the wire.

If you could cut the wire itself (#14 stranded hard copper) near the insulator or just outboard of the twirled rope, then the antenna should drop.  I could put a new insulator on and put it back up higher as planned.

More info:

The antenna is about 65 to 70 ft up in the tree.

The ropes are 3/16 inch Black Double-Braided Polyester Rope.  Black sheath with white polyester core.  Breaking strength 770 lbs.

The other end of the antenna CANNOT be lowered.  A tree branch has grown around the support rope.

The center insulator is a plastic ladder line insulator.  No, you can't pull on the ladder line without breaking the center insulator and completely destroying the antenna but leaving it still stuck in the tree.

I don't think it's possible to toss a line over the antenna and "walk" it back to the insulator because of tree branches lower on the tree.

Ideas:

A small drone with some apparatus attached capable of cutting or burning through the rope, or cutting the copper wire near the insulator.  The pictures are a bit deceiving.  It's possible to approach the insulator along the direction of the wire without dodging branches.

A high power laser to burn through the rope.  Don't think this is possible at the distance involved w/o fancy collimating optics.  Remember, the rope core is white and will reflect the light somewhat.  Plus laser eye risk concerns.

A "rope walker" robot with some apparatus to cut the rope or wire.  But not sure how you can get it on the wire antenna unless it can climb the ladder line too and somehow jump onto the wire.   Might be fun to watch, however.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgtKwCLNf2Y

A company with a100 ft bucket truck that only charges $50, not $500.00+

Other "out of the box" ideas?

So who wants to take on the challenge?

tnx

Shawn
N3AE






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