Good rope for throwin' up some antennae - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 03:23:56 am
content: Oh Yodellaheehoo Time to pull that rope up in the air, But I need a rope on a-Not nylon, what id like is thin flexible strongeverlastingrope, enough,enough rope to fly a kite or antenna, thats also inexpensive.Any suggestions? Ive got good insulators wires and balun and time

author: deBug
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 05:59:14 am
content: I use rope made for flagpoles, its inexpensive and made for long time outdoors use.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 09:24:39 am
content: Depends on the thickness of the wire and the size of the antenna. Right now I'm using 1mm diameter nylon fishing line on my end fed wire.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 01:26:00 pm
content: My 80 meter full wave loop was hoisted up and is held up with 500 pound paracord. Cost me about $50 USD for a 1,000 foot spool.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 01:50:17 pm
content: Paracord FTW. Got a roll of “stealth” stuff from sotabeams. Does the job nicely.Fishing line works but the stuff is nasty if you get it tangled. Just have to cut it off and leave it there.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 02:09:00 pm
content: I just recently acquired around 1000 meters of approximately 25 kg test monofilament fishing line to have around and a bunch of fishing weights. I am considering getting a slingshot for the actual launchage. My thinking is I will shoot the weight with fishing cord attached almost straight up and over the center of the tree hoping it will go up and then come down without getting tangled.Its a pretty high shot, maybe 60 feet up and I don't think I could throw it that high. The fishing line is extremely light and very strong for its weight.Assuming all goes well then I will use the fishing line to pull up a larger cord (what I am looking for here) and then attach the end of that to a dogbone insulator and the long wire antenna to that. When I have hoisted the antenna up high, I'll tie the end of the cord to some ground resident object of sufficient mass.. leaving enough length to allow me to lower the antenna down when necessary for repairs/replacement.The main thing I am worried about is the weight getting the monofilament line tangled when its shot up there, and not coming down.I really don't want to have tangles of almost invisible fishing line 50 feet up in my trees where birds would encounter it unexpectedly during flight.That bird might be some other bird's mom or dad. Ya know.So if I could use para-cord for this, that would be preferable.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 02:16:01 pm
content: How did you launch the wire up into the trees? The paracord I am guessing is significantly less likely to get tangled on its trip up and down.Quote from: GreyWoolfe on November 10, 2018, 01:26:00 pm

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 04:25:20 pm
content: bowor crank crossbow for the old timers that can't draw so good anymore, you can also tie fishing line to a bolt probably then tie that to a paracord to erect an antenna without getting expensive stuff tangled in the trees.

author: donmr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 05:18:20 pm
content: Tennis ball launchers are popular around here. They are not seen as "weapons" as much as other methods.http://www.antennalaunchers.com

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 05:19:52 pm
content: keep in mind, if you attach a reel from a fishing rod to a cross bow or bow its not really seen as too much of a weapon anymore, so long you use arrows that are soft tipped. I could see a game warden harassing you though, if he thinks you are hunting with it.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 05:24:45 pm
content: For launching think 21st Century. In the city center we have a shop that sells drones, I haven't got the faintest idea of how to fly one so I had to borrow the owner/pilot with the device. Five minutes and we were done.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 10, 2018, 11:22:02 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on November 10, 2018, 02:09:00 pmI should have been more specific in my reply. I use a sling shot with a closed face spinning reel attached and I use 1 ounce egg weights and 25lb mono filament line. I rarely tangle and/or lose an egg weight. I can do a 60' tree easy. I tie the paracord to the mono filament and reel it back with the spinning reel. The other thing I do is make a loop of 3' heavy duty bungee cords, tie the paracord to the hooks and run the antenna wire through the loop. This provides shock absorption and flex for the antenna on windy days. I have 6 of these scattered around the 285' of wire for the loop.I also used paracord to support the center balun and ends of my first wire antenna, a 40 meter Carolina Windom. The 80 meter loop replaced it when I found the balun rusted.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 12:08:02 am
content: Do you let the fishing reel hold the line on ascent - does it unreel from the reel okay as it goes up?Also, do you make a loop with a single bungee cord or do you use more than one?

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 11, 2018, 02:39:14 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on November 11, 2018, 12:08:02 amI release the reel when I am ready to shoot the weight up. I've only had 1 birds nest when I first started using it. It does unreel just fine. I picked up 2 of the reels at a local thrift shop for a couple of dollars each, no worries at all. You can get an idea what the set up looks like if you google ez-hang. The only difference is mine cost me $10 to make instead of $100.I make the loop with a single bungee cord. I face the hooks opposite of each other so they form a closed loop that I tie the paracord to. The loop wire has contact with the cord itself not the hooks.

author: rhb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2018, 10:49:07 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on November 10, 2018, 02:09:00 pmI have no idea where it came from, but I have an old "Wrist Rocket" with a fly fishing reel attached. Clearly intended for this purpose. Then once that is in place, you use it to pull a larger line into place.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2018, 12:39:18 am
content: I saw something a few days ago that made me wonder if perhaps they may be illegal in my state. To be honest, I don't know.They certainly do seem like the perfect thing for putting up an antenna, in my own frigging back yard.I only need to get a weight with a cord attached up there once.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2018, 11:27:18 pm
content: Here we go, an arrow would definitely do it, I think!(Description inside)http://mirror.thelifeofkenneth.com/sites/www.oneworld.coop/Survival/1916%20Hunting%20with%20the%20Bow%20and%20Arrow,%20Ishi%20The%20Last%20Yani%20%20161p.pdf

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2018, 01:35:16 pm
content: It's interesting what hams will use to get a wire antenna up. Slingshots, bow and arrow, compressed air 'potato guns'. A friend of mine uses a fishing rod with a spark plug tied to the line.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2018, 10:17:04 pm
content: The book in the previous link is pretty interesting. I had heard of Ishi before but I had not seen this particular book. We pat ourselves on the backs and tell ourselves how advanced we are but are we really, compared to people who lived entirely off the land, cooperating with one another and making the very best of every animal they killed, every plant they harvested, every branch they cut?Seems to me that Ishi also had a lot of technology at his command.Facing as we are, an ecological catastrophe in the making, I think we could learn a lot from Ishi's way of life.Given the circumstances, who are we to say ours is that preferable?

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2018, 10:56:14 pm
content: What kind of fishing reel is best? I am looking at very low cost fly casting reels- any suggestions?The fishing line is just impossible to keep in one place and have it spool out properly upon launch without one.Quote from: GreyWoolfe on November 24, 2018, 01:35:16 pm

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2018, 11:37:06 pm
content: are commercial reels suitable for the velocity of the arrow or projectile?

author: beanflying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2018, 11:58:43 pm
content: I owned a kite shop for over 10 years in a recent life. Stay away from Nylon monofiliment it burns flesh and stretches and is easily cut by any abrasion.For larger bridle lines on kites and removing things from powerlines or trees or roofs ..... 'Venetian Blind Cord' works well. It is fairly stiff very low stretch and doesn't tie knots on itself easily. It's name and use may vary around the world but a google search will get you started.For throwing into trees and such I tended to use a smooth weight of about 100-150g and swing it vertically or just off axis as needed (vertical slingshot). The cord was layered in loops beside meoff the reeland it simply picked up what was needed during the launch. Practice helps in controlling the release angle too like all rotary optionsArrows depending on location fired up are a bad option as you start from a high velocity to get some kinetic energy from a light projectileand you can't use a projectile with a slingshot with the mass needed to trail a cord.This link is the sort of weave we looked for, tightly packed with a smooth outer.https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TIMBER-CEDAR-PVC-VENETIAN-BLIND-CORD-FOR-50MM-63MM-BLINDS-BROWN-X10-METRES/112600775639?hash=item1a37877bd7:g:qO4AAOSwKPdZ4H2fOther uses included removing R/C aircraft, Kites, small children and or cats from trees roofs etc

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 02:30:51 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on December 12, 2018, 10:56:14 pmMy friend uses a light weight rod with an open faced spinning reel. I use a closed face spinning reel attached to my slingshot with 25 pound test monofilament and 1 ounce egg weights painted yellow for visibility. Yes the line does stretch if it gets hung up and it will burn your hands but if I get stuck, I pull with the reel not on the line. I break the occasional weight off but I always have a few extras when I am planning to put up wire or help doing so.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 02:40:33 pm
content: "egg weights" thats the term I should use. I now have two two ounce and one four ounce 'drop sinkers" and half a kilometer of monofilament line, maybe 2.5 kg test. Its thin but pretty strong. But the reel has some notches in it that make it unsuitable for spooling off its reel quickly, and the fishing line is so thin it tangles instantly.So I need a reel. There are a lot of nice looking ones on ebay from China for around $10 but I have no idea which one is the kind to buy for fast trouble-free outflow and easy tangle free reeling in.I am not the fishing type, have not done it since I was a kid.I hate killing anything. I don't even kill bugs, I catch them and put them outside.I will try to get some images from ebay of the kinds that I am considering after I have my morning coffee.One post on e-ham or similar suggested "the cheapest zebco" reel. Looking at them they seem to be what you call "closed face" with a conical cover over the reel and a hole which faces towards the end of the pole for the line and a button to release the reel so the line can play out when the line is cast. That would work.Some of the others have an open reel which then must spin (more mass) as the line plays out. Some of the others are open but have a (pretty) visible mechanism which seems likely to be similar to whatever is inside the zebco but open. It has a winding arrangement that is what is used to rewind the line when its reeled in which appears to flip out of the way when casting. I think that is what I will want. But I don't see where its released.Prices appear to be very low. Maybe its time to break out Google Chrome and try to find some reviews of the Chinese fishing reels.If I am going to buy a fishing reel, even if it is super cheap, I might as well try to find a decent one.I could see the capability of casting out a line and reeling it back in being useful.I have to say, I am very happy to see the explosion of recreation and hobbies in China (and brands, where companies take pride in their products.) that we are seeing, that's a very good thing.IMHO, the often very hard working Chinese people deserve it!Really, the entire world is becoming more connected, pretty quickly.Despite all the efforts to slow it down or stop it.We are different, but we are the same family: Vive la difference!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 08:08:11 pm
content: I wonder if like in India or Africa, if a ham ever managed to train a monkey to put a rope in a tree.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 08:16:04 pm
content: No monkeys here, but we do have lots of squirrels.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2018, 08:24:23 pm
content: there is also some squirrels in American Dad but its slightly less related.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2018, 07:45:27 pm
content: just wondering if anyone has used a drone to get a wire over a tree etc? 73 m3vuv.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2018, 08:14:08 pm
content: Associated thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/any-fisherfolk-here-could-you-recommend-a-cheap-reel-for-launching-antennas/Get you local climbing arborist to get the antenna hoist point where you want it.....absolute doodle for those guys with spiked climbing boots and a tree belt or maybe the good ones could sling their throwing weight 60ft then hoist your permanent rope up.