The AM Forum

In the department of things that fall down, and things you do not really want to have to go and replace:

Antenna Rope

It is usually installed in two places: either end of a wire ant, and sometimes in the middle holding the center of a dipole.

What do you use?
What non-commercial ant rope/stuff that doesn't cost dollars per foot is gonna last the longest??

I'm thinking of what climbers call "static line" - as opposed to "climbing rope" - as one possibility.
Stainless steel aircraft cable is out... it's too likely to couple/conduct...

So, what are the possibilities?

Of course, the center line on my dipole - through the pulley on the tower, just gave up.  :(
Now I have to put something up there and soon... the last time was lowly 1/4" high quality clothes line, believe it or not! Lasted about 10 years, iirc. The ends are held up through trees with ~5/8 nylon...

           _-_-WBear2GCR

Donno what shopping posibilities you have locally Bear, but all the rope that is packaged these days has a chart that lists the ability of the rope to withstand things like petroleum products, sunlight, etc.

Look for the type that best survives UV exposure.  If that clothes line lasted 10 years, that is good.  I put up an Inverted L and I believe that I used polypropolene for the guys.  It was the best I could find without ordering.  In higher altitudes, I would have bought the high dollar stuff.

http://www.synthetictextilesinc.com/

Synthetic Textiles in Calif is where I buy all my rope. They have a great product that is Dacron covered Nylon. I use  3/16", or  5/16 diameters.

I use 3/16" for all wire antenna supports and 5/16" if it needs to go thru a pulley.

The 3/16" is rated 800 pounds and the 5/16" is around 1700 pounds if I recall.

The Dacron covering is black, so UV resistant. I've had the same ropes out there since 1987 and they have lost their shine to dull, otherwise still FB rope. You can easily tie and untie knots with it.

Buy a 500' or 1000' roll for a good deal.

73,
T

Davis RF is the dealer I use for the 3/16 stuff excellent line.....vely vely strong...like godzilla!

Brent

Yep, about $112 for 1000' shipped..... HRO in NH is a distributor too.........

They say they developed this rope  ".... at the constant urging of a local Ham radio operator...."  ;D



Of course, I am cheap.... I use 200lb test mason twine for my #12 solid 75 meter dipole.....
It will last a couple years up in the trees here in Verminmont......
Only fell down once, HEAVILY iced, then a tree fell on it...........


Maybe someday I'lll spring for some actual rope!
(probly for the 160 ant)

I juust replaced our 1977 cotton close line rope last year but it is now holding the cover over my Dad's pool.
I bought some crap at h.d. that lasted a year.
Higher end hadrware stores sometimes carry better stuff.
I miss the rope man at hostraders he sold good stuff. Tho only hunk that ever broke had a large tree fall across it.
I like 1/4 inch because it doesn't get hung up as easily and easier to pull through trees.

That's not too bad...

lesseee... 112 divided by 1000... nooooo 1000 divided by 112... ummm... <counts fingers> yep, nope, the other way... 11.2cents a foot. By Golly! 

Good price, but being poor and uh thrifty I don't want to spend a hundred bux on my trees... I just need about $5.12 worth of the stuff right now!! Oh boy... maybe I have to spring for some... maybe 250 feet... maybe IFR wants some...ok, maybe I need to check with some of the local boys... yikes! IT'S A PROJECT ALREADY!!!

any other ideas??

            _-_-WBear2GCR

" I think, therefore I  A.M. "

That's a great quote!

A slightly modified version: "I think, therefore A.M."  has a different rhythm and meaning... ;D

T

A local hardware store, Jerry's, has a gud selection of rope & pulleys. I don't have much wire in the air, just a 40 meter dipole and a full wave 75 meter loop. Both are held up with 1/4 inch braided nylon. I think it cost bout 9 cents a foot. This is the same as starter rope on small pull start motors. Nylon will take the UV better than most other ropes, cheap. Every couple of years I look for fraying or bad sections. Its real easy to let the antenna down, melt a new section end to end with the old, then pull the wire back up.

I'm done climbing trees. Hope the pulleys don't break?

73's
Craig

Weed Wacker line...The round stuff...Very heavy monofilament nylon....Strong, UV resistant, inexpensive, available everywhere weeds are grown.....I have some that has been up for 10 yrs...

Also twine for hay bailers.  Sun won't hurt it and it is very strong for it's size.  You will have to go to a farm feed or supply store.  They sell it is cases of 4 but will have cases that have broken.  Buy one.

Weed wacker line...  :o  Don't think I'm going there... it's set up to shear easily. The idea of a knot in it scares me.

Starter rope... hmmm. Now that's possible. But it look suspiciously like the high quality clothes line that I had used to hole the center up through the pulley, but that was 1/4" and not made quite as well. I think the thieves around here sell that stuff for WAY too much per foot - the theory being that people only want ~3 feet of it usually... maybe someone sells it wholesale. Nah.  ;D

          _-_-WBear2GCR

I guess I'll throw my nickel's worth of advice in here too. I use that military green parachute cord. That works FBOM. Also, I don't know what it made from, (also military), the halyard and guying rope that came with my antenna supports has been out doors now for over 10 years. Its a braided rope with a polyester core. When I took it down for QTH change, it didn't show the least amount of wear or UV exposure. I got both through Ontario Surplus.

I found parachute cord from a local military surplus store to work very well. and low cost  for the quality. Matthew KR4WI

A Knot in weed wacker line???  NO SWEAT... Ever tie a lure on a leader??  Don't be scared!!!  I used weed wacker line one time because it was all I had to use....Now I dont use anything else for 14 Thhn in the trees... IT stetches when the tall trees sway and that and the UV resistance are its great pluses...My experience is that it takes a REALLy BIG storm to break it...The round type is best but I am trying some of the square corner stuff...I am currently using round stuff on an 80 M coax fed dipople and a 180 M dipole and a full wave loop for 20M  hung at 60 ft in 90ft pine trees ,,,, These trees move a lot in the wind...  However (comma) you do have to climb the tree to install this stuff and it doesn"t work in pulleys very well.............

FWIW,

Have used the Synth Textiles Antella Rope for years,  lasts almost forever,  and is even fairly abraison resistant.  HRO does sell it in 100 foot lengths (and longer).  If it is worth the time to put up an antenna,  it is worth the time to use good materials.

It is fun to experiment with things,  tho ... just AVOID the cheapest rope -- Polypropylene,  It weems to have NO UV resistance at all,  ROTs in a year or so.

73  GL  Vic  K6IC

I cast my vote for parachute cord, too.  Wally world has a version of it in their camping section called 'Camoflage Cord' or some such, pretty cheap, 50' hanks.  Either one, it is easy to tie and untie knots, easy to pull through the trees, very strong and abrasion resistant.  I have some thats been up 15 years.

No rope here.  I use anti-gravs.

Vic,

Yes, agreed on both. That company is run by women and they do a FB job.

Yes that Polypropylene rope - never again. I had some 1600 pound test stuff I used for pulling up antennas on a tram line. One year I left it out on a tower for 6 months. I used it again and it broke. My log periodic slid all the way to the ground and stabbed into the dirt.  The rope had rotted from the UV exposure, even though it looked OK on the surface.

I stick with nylon for heavy stuff or steel cable for really heavy loads. That Syn-Tex dacron covered nylon really is quite a value. As they say, it pays to buy the best!

Should be a good test of rope today with the wind and rain! I am expecting my antenna to be coming down any time now.

 I horse-arsed something over the second tree and tied it off to a small sapling last weekend just to get my inverted 260 ft L back up. If we get a decent weekend, I need to do the pulley and weight trick with some good rope. That should settle things down for the winter.

Mike WU2D