| Author |
Message |
    
Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo
Post Number: 70
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 7:29 pm: | 
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Hi everyone, Whats the story on the RF invisible Guy Wire ive heard about? Does it help or should I just stick with the tried and true metal? None of my antennas will be below the guys. Will metal guys have an effect even if the antennas are above them? Thanks in advance for the help. |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1200
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 8:19 pm: |
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yes, the guy wires "may" have an effect on the radiation pattern of your antenna.
if you are going to use metal guy wires, use an egg insulator about three inches out from the mast, using a short length of the guy wire, and then attatch the guy wire to the other end of the egg insulator. that way there is no long length of metal touching your mast and grounding system.
or you can use the guy rope with the dacron jacket. do a google search for, "black dacron guy rope." you'll find a few places to get it.
matt |
Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo
Post Number: 71
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 9:59 pm: |
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Ok, good info, thank you. I was planning on using 3/32 250 LBS. working load, galvinized, vinyl coated cable. Will vinyl coating do the trick, or do I need the dacron guy rope? Thank you for the help. |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1207
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 3:28 am: |
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insulated or not, it could affect the radiation pattern.
matt |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1247
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 8:56 am: |
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I changed out my metal guy wires to 1/8" Kevlar
rope (tripled it for added strength).
Had problems with the metal wires as per
what Matt says in his posts.
Metal guys should have egg insulators and they should also be grounded. |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1219
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 1:14 pm: |
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The 'Invisible to RF' guy wire is called phillystrand. Here's one installation using phillystrand: http://www.wxpage.com/HamRadio/guywires.htm
Unless you are mounting antennas to the side of your tower or pole, I would not use phillystrand.
If you have a vertical antenna on top of a pole, then metallic guy wires will not change anything, but may actually help by lowering your takeoff angle. Insulating guy wires makes no difference at all unless you install insulators every 7 feet or less in each wire all the way to the ground. |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1213
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 11:24 pm: |
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wow! i want to make sure i understand you correctly paul. if i get a push up pole, and put a maco V5/8 wave up on top, and just used metal guy wires right to the guy ring(s) on the mast; this would be OK, and maybe a little better than using rope?
what about an IMAX2000 with NO groundplane kit?
matt |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1221
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, February 20, 2006 - 12:29 am: |
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Yes, that would be O.K. The only time it would not be O.K. is if you had the pole guyed on the top and side mounted an antenna on it where the antenna was looking into guy wires.
It makes no difference what antenna it is, rules are the same. GPK or not. |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1219
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 20, 2006 - 10:35 pm: |
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i think that is another big CB myth that get perpetuated over and over.
im so glad to know that!!!
think of the money i'll save on my next antenna install.
now im just embarrassed that i cant remember where i read that information, i know i didnt just hear it somewhere!
thank you paul!!!
matt |
Mrclean
Junior Member
Username: Mrclean
Post Number: 37
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 6:33 am: |
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Dacron rope works great. Price is not bad at all. |
Tech237
Moderator
Username: Tech237
Post Number: 315
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 10:07 am: |
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It is amazing what you can do with the guy wires.
Years ago (I was 16 or so at the time) my parents allow me to put up a 40ft mast but I was only allowed to put three antennas on it.
On a cross-arm I had a 2m Ringo, 27MHz vertical (not for CB but for the Marine rescue freqencies)and 2 2m turnstyle for satellite work. I insulated both sets of guys at the top and made them into slopers for 80, 40,/15, 20 and 10m.
I then snuck another antenna (6m loop) using the beams in the patio roof to support it. Took dad years to realize why I offerd to paint the patio that year.
Tech8833 is correct on breaking the guys and that is why I said having troied it both ways I have never seen a great difference - except for one occasion.
A Freight company mounted a 30ft mast on an aluminium roof and used continuous lenght guys (8 in total). Near the top and inside of the cone formed by the guys/mast/roof combination they mounted their VHF dipole.
THis dipole proved to be extremely deaf, until they finally broke the guys into small sections. The theory is ( and it was never proven) that the guys/mast/roof formed a closed cage around the antenna and was shielding it to an extent. Breaking the guys into section opend the sheild.
maybe Tech833 can offer a more valid explanaition on this. |
