[Lowfer] vertical

[Eric Smith]

On Sun, 23 Feb 2003, WE0H wrote:

> Does that mean you were having fun today trying to put up the vertical???

Yes.  Looks like 30' is going to be about the limit of what I'll get in 
the air by myself.  :(  Suppose I'll have to be happy with that until I 
come up with something else.

I did come up with a better idea, I think, for the tophat.  I Have about 
200' of copperweld and I considered using a few feet of that at the top 
end of the mast as downleads to the guy ropes.  That, I had thought, could 
serve as radials.

But I just couldn't imagine raising that -- the copperweld is so heavy.  
So I thought of a better idea, I think.  I have some very light gauge 
stainless steel "safety wire".  This stuff is light and strong.  I'm 
thinking of making several loops about 12' long and then twist it up.  
Then I'll have a 12' twisted section with loops on each end, one end 
looped through my flange and the other end looped through my electric 
fence insulators.  From there, it's guy rope on down to the anchors.

Then I can attach the top of the antenna wire to each of these 12' 
stainless radials and that's my tophot.  Should be very light.  What do 
you think?

So I have the 30' mast put together.  I'm building the tophat as described 
above today unless you have better ideas.  The wx conditions here are much 
as Charles COV described ... 60 yesterday and blowing and snowing today.  
My 30' of pipe laying in the yard is covered by snow.