BLARGH. Antenna blew down.

[N3DRB The Derb]

The big storm we had come thru the area about 3 hours ago wiped out my antenna - down on the ground and floppin around. 

Not that I was using it, but 'it's dead Jim'. I think this will migrate a transfer to the W7FG antenna later on this summer.
I guess I got time to make the gear bulletproof before radio season now. 

[N3DRB The Derb]

me and the wife got around town and there must be 3 dozen downed trees and such around the area after yesterdays big storm went through.

Did anyone else get hit bad in the wider area? 

[KA1ZGC]

I guess I got time to make the gear bulletproof before radio season now. 

But, Timmy... it's always radio season!

[N3DRB The Derb]

I got some pix to show off later. I'm down but no out. 

[W1AEX]

Sorry to hear you lost the antenna. My 256 foot center-fed dropped to the ground over the Memorial Day weekend after some pretty nasty winds rolled through. The branch at 70 feet up that I had been using at the center to support it simply snapped when the trees at both ends got blown in different directions. Ah well, it served me well for the past 4 years. The good thing about all this is that when that branch broke off, it revealed 2 stronger branches right above the old one, at about 75 feet! It took me about 20 shots with the slingshot, but I managed to get a line over them and hauled it all back up higher than it was before! Sweet!

Hope you get it straightened out easily.

Rob W1AEX

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I'd talk to the guy who put it up and request a refund!

[Bill, KD0HG]

Sorry to hear you lost the antenna. My 256 foot center-fed dropped to the ground over the Memorial Day weekend after some pretty nasty winds rolled through. The branch at 70 feet up that I had been using at the center to support it simply snapped when the trees at both ends got blown in different directions. Ah well, it served me well for the past 4 years. The good thing about all this is that when that branch broke off, it revealed 2 stronger branches right above the old one, at about 75 feet! It took me about 20 shots with the slingshot, but I managed to get a line over them and hauled it all back up higher than it was before! Sweet!

Hope you get it straightened out easily.

Rob W1AEX

I miss those monster trees out east.

[N3DRB The Derb]

The branch supporting it on teh left support got taken out and fell into the yard. 

If anything, the guys that put it up should send me a bill. Now, we got a heat wave coming our way. in the mid 90's all his coming week, and we got no air conditioning in the garage.
I might be able to get in there and work at night or real early in the morning, but it's 100 degrees in there under such conditions.

The rednecks next door have a compound bow, if'n I make some antenna arrows they might shoot some new lines up for me.
 

[w3jn]

None of your hillbilly neighbors has a wrist-rocket???

Part of my antenner came down also - 1/2 of one of the fan dipole legs broke at the center insulator.  Kid found it when he was mowing the lawn, I didn't check back there and didn't notice.  Glad he didn't run over it and end up wrapping a thousand turns of antener wire around the mower.

[N3DRB The Derb]

all antenna insulators now made in China for greater glory of Chinese Empire. 

Plice look good at hamfest but not so good when up in air then find on ground. 

[kb3ouk]

We tried putting up an antenna with a crossbow and were doing a test shot and lost the arrow. Well, it doesn't help when the only thing holding an almost half inch piece of rope(which was too big, as we later found out)to the arrow is a piece of electrical tape, and when we shot the thing, the arrow came unattached from the rope. After spending 30 minutes looking for it, we gave up and got a less powerful bow and shot a piece of fishing line into the tree(which is only about 40 feet tall)which was tied to a smaller rope that was then tied to the bigger rope that holds the antenna up, or at least that's what i remember happening. Amaringly, we haven't got a big wind in the last few days up here in southern pa.
Shelby KB3OUK

[W2JTD]

I think this will migrate a transfer to the W7FG antenna later on this summer.

That's the way to go bro. I'm very satisfied with mine so far. Excellent performance with the flashbox. Just need to add a big scrote knife switch and I'm golden.

If the Clampetts can shoot some monofilament for ya, the job should go quickly. Then you can thank them with some barbecued roadkill.

- JTD

[WD8BIL]

Compound bows are not the best for that job. A recurve works much better. It's easier to control the power to the arrow. Compounds are on "ON/OFF" device. They'll shoot the arrow waayyyy too far.

Another possibility is a good fishing rod. I've slung a 1 oz. sinker over a 75' oak tree many times.

[N3DRB The Derb]

didn't know that, I've never shot a compound. Maybe I can find a cheap 20 or 30 # bow that I can manage to pull on to do it. I've always used bows in the past.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Part of my antenner came down also - 1/2 of one of the fan dipole legs broke at the center insulator.  Kid found it when he was mowing the lawn, I didn't check back there and didn't notice.  Glad he didn't run over it and end up wrapping a thousand turns of antener wire around the mower.

Hey, speaking of which - how's the mast in the pine tree holding up? Or, more accurately: how is the high-tech attachment system doing?

A camera, a camera, my kingdom for a camera!