[MRCA] Ice and antennas

[B. Smith]

      As an aviator  the mention of  ice gives me that ole dreaded 
feeling deep in my gut  but as a ham the word ice means loss of 
antennas. With the possibility of a major snow and ice storm being 
predicted for the East Coast  I would like to remind everyone that it is 
much easier to lower your wire antennas to the ground  now and then put 
them back up after the storm then it is to leave them up and allow them 
to be severely damaged by ice accumulation. This tip is especially 
important to those involved in military MARS and other state  emergency 
activities.

      The major HF antenna here at k4che  is a closed wire 230 foot loop 
fed with open wire line  and just for an experiment I will not lower it 
but leave it up -    -    -     on standby is a very large 24 volt 
transformer to be used as a deice device by using the low voltage high 
current output of the transformer in a closed circuit to produce heat. 
This was a common procedure many many years ago but I have not heard of 
it being used recently. Generator is on standby.

      Here's hoping that the storm forecast is wrong.

Z