- 14 -
Guying the HF2V Antenna
Guying of vertical antennas is always recommended for
stability. However, if your area encounters severe wind
velocities or icing conditions, simple guying will reduce the
possibility of failure. Guying rope should be tightened just
enough to get any slack out of the rope. They do not need to
be real tight. The ends of the ropes are slanted at about 45
degrees and tied to the earth anchors that screwed into the
ground at about the same 45 degree angle as the ropes will
be. The ropes are tied at the B1 and G tube joint.
Synthetic Textile Industries Antenna Support Rope which is
a premium double-braided Dacron/Polyester rope has been
used for guying vertical antennas. A single set of guys
placed just above the 40 meter circuit will contribute greatly
to the stability and the longevity of the antenna, provided
that the guys retain a slight amount of slack and do not
come off at too steep an angle.
At angles of less than 45 degrees, the guys begin to exert a
downward compressive force on the structure that can be more of a threat to survival than lateral
wind loading on an un-guyed structure.
Under no circumstances should guys be placed higher than one-third of the way up the antenna. The
upper two-thirds of the HF2V has little more than its own weight to support, so these sections may
be allowed to bend with the wind with no serious risk of damage. It is the lower third of the antenna
that must support both the weight of the upper sections and the wind loading on them and are thus
more likely to receive damage in severe winds.
A Few Words About the Capacitors.
The door-knob capacitor used on the Butternut Verticals can be difficult to find. Over the years the
shape and size has changed depending on the source of the capacitors.
Prior to October of 2016 - the following capacitor assemblies were used:
BUT-290-05 BUT-290-06 BUT-290-07
200 pf 67 pf 67 and 200 pf with Bracket
