Tales Of Comms Gone Bad. Tower Antenna Problem

[@jstrunck]

Thank you posting! You taught me something about Vaporwrap tape. It makes sense now, but I had no idea birds love that gooey stuff! Why? Anyhow, I have seen water in LDF5-50A connectors recently. Thanks Again Sir!

[@OH8STN]

We learn something new everyday GC. Couple months ago "repaired" the N-connectors between the preamp and two meter yagi on top of the tower. Based on your video, I'm pretty sure I did a half-ass job, and will be tower climbing again in a couple of years. As always thanks for sharing and teaching. Julian

[@dc5833]

Another fine video. Lots of real tips too. As always well done. Thank you.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

We always use longer feedline than what is required so we have room to make a drip loop or sag with an antenna pigtail if applicable (antennas that have no pigtails I will create a sag in the feedline) and have the connectors lay horizontal along the mast arms, we also always use the "goo tape" that tar tape on every antenna install and rework because it rain a lot here at certain times of the year... That's how I was taught and that's how I teach others to do it, and because of that Like you, I can pretty much guarantee the work and I have never has a failure due to water ingress.

[@survivalcomms]

Great video ! Make a connection make it to last. Thanks for sharing !

[@BurtBartlow]

Real man doing real shit.

[@kissingbanditt]

I'm confused, please help. Ok, is it the longer the ground wire the more noise you will pick up...ok...What if your tower is at the back of your house and the shack is at the front....you have a ground rod at the tower 30 feet away from your room...then another 20 feet another ground rod...i got 3 rods in the ground at 10 feet long... My electrical panel is at the front of the house, which is about 30 feet away from the tower...My shack is above the electrical panel at the 2nd floor another 10 feet up...so i have a ground cable from the tower going 30 feet to the electrical box, then from my room 10 feet down...that is like 40 feet of ground cable... When i listen to the CB band or shortwave i hear a buzzing sound in the back round...Not sure where it's coming from. Could be ground or something else, maybe conditions.. But please advise... My specs are the following. 20 foot tower with 10 foot mast on top... antenna is an Imax2000 for cb band. which is 24 feet long.. the coax shield coming out of the antenna a few inches below is is grounded to the top part of the tower. Each leg of the 3 legs of my tower are grounded together and the same ground wire at a ground rod right beside the tower, then 20 feet away. Radio is an Icom7000 but powered from 12V car battery only.. ground rod is 10 feet long. Am i doing anything wrong? Thank you..

[@Subgunman]

Brings back great memories! Wish I had a TDR over here where I live, would come in handy. Now I need to find out if anyone in the EU is an authorized repair center for IFR equipment. UHF section has failed on the 1500S. Lucky its not Air Heliax! We were required to hit all joints with a good layer of 33, a layer of self fusing tape, a layer of Scotch Coat followed by some more 33 and then a final coat of Scotch Coat. What really got my goat was the contractor who installed the heliax on the John Hancock center in Chicago years ago. I had to go onto the top of the center in mid January and cut out the kink and add a splice. This caused a massive delay on turning on a new paging transmitter since we could not access the area until they turned off the TV transmitters which only happened twice a year. Lets see that was in '90 and from what I understand that line is still in use today with no problems.

[@2string861]

Anyone know the model of tower that he's on? Ive seen it getting installed all over California, even replacing older towers, at Boucher Hill on Palomar Mountain they recently replaced two older towers with it

[@geekdownrange]

Is the heliax mounted to the tower with a bracket or grip just below the platform? I was a little surprised not to see the antenna pigtails for that platform level not all come back to a common NEMA box with integrated grounding. I've seen that on some sites.

[@Zacabo]

With the spectrum analyzer how did you check the tuning of the antenna?

[@TheRedneckprepper]

Have you ever used liquid electric tape ? I was in the electrical field for 35 years ive used that for any thing out side first then that thick rubber then 88+ not 33

[@chris3560]

Did you drain the hardline at the bottom???

[@GUERRILLACOMM]

Yup, we did. Bone dry..

[@cmritchie04]

What about using hot glue and/or rubber cement set on fire for a little like you do with a tire?

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Who uses hot glue on a tire?

[@cmritchie04]

I would hope no one.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

IKR

[@ifell3]

Wouldn't some sort of plastic cone/2l coke bottle top work wonders on stopping the birds and deflecting the rain. What an amazing job you have.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Yes it would but here's the thing, a coke bottle in that environment will break down and decompose fairly quickly, also this is a professional install, not a CB Radiddty-O or HAME antenner on yer tool shed. LOL Yes I am being silly on the last part..

[@ifell3]

ElfNet Gaming just surprised there isn't a professional product made for this situation. I thought about it and thought possible due to supply and demand.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Well there is not a real "demand" for it, if you do the job the correct way the first time, use the proper weatherproofing methods, etc., you should not have to worry about returning to to repair something due to water ingress.. Now working behind someone elses is a whole other story, I have had my fair share of dealing with "the other guys" crap work some 300 plus feet off the ground, and it is not amusing..

[@Lindsay1050]

Never seen an Anderson cable go that way before but I am a newbie, so who knows

[@buzzsah]

water will stop all