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I recently got my 25' crank-up antenna tower set back up. It's lain patiently in the side yard for 9 years waiting for me to get to it after the move.

The tower and mast will allow me to hang a G5RV dipole antenna just about 50' off the ground. Normally you'll bury coax for this kind of installation, but due to a number of factors, I have to run it overhead. I don't want the weight of the coax pulling on the feed line for the dipole either.

This lead me to create a printable clamp that can be used in conjunction with a carabiner to take up the weight of the coax. 125' of LMR-400 ain't light.
Here's what the design looks like:

[img]http://www.geneb.org/images/coax-hanger.jpg[/img]

I printed two clamp sets in black ABS. They turned out great! (Kisslicer, 4mm brim)

Here's the tower end:
[img]http://www.geneb.org/images/tower-clamp.jpg[/img]

Here's the house end:
[img]http://www.geneb.org/images/house-clamp.jpg[/img]

The path for the coax was a bit looser than I'd like, so I used a single layer of coax sealant wrap to thicken it up. The wrap is essentially the same high-temperature self-adhesive silicone tape that I've wrapped hot ends with in the past. At least the appearance and adhesive properties are the same.

73, de n7mos

g.

Nice design! That's a lot of bolts, stuff must be heavy.

Good thing you used black ABS, hopefully the carbon black or whatever they put in it will prevent UV degradation.

Nice Clamps..

Yea. That stuff is heavy! Sucks pulling it up a 100 foot tower. We use it to feed 2.4 and 5ghz directional antennas for long distance WiFi backhauls.

I hooked the tower side at the top of the first segment, so it's only about 10-12' off the ground. My biggest shock was the price! I hadn't bought any coax in something like 15 years.

g.

geneb wrote:I hooked the tower side at the top of the first segment, so it's only about 10-12' off the ground. My biggest shock was the price! I hadn't bought any coax in something like 15 years.

g.

Where'd you get yours? It's only a little less than a buck a foot here. http://www.fab-corp.com/product.php?pro ... 252&page=1

barry99705 wrote:

geneb wrote:I hooked the tower side at the top of the first segment, so it's only about 10-12' off the ground. My biggest shock was the price! I hadn't bought any coax in something like 15 years.

g.

Where'd you get yours? It's only a little less than a buck a foot here. http://www.fab-corp.com/product.php?pro ... 252&page=1

How to make a grown man cry. Nice

That's a professional looking solution geneb, nice work.

Captain Starfish wrote:

barry99705 wrote:

geneb wrote:I hooked the tower side at the top of the first segment, so it's only about 10-12' off the ground. My biggest shock was the price! I hadn't bought any coax in something like 15 years.

g.

Where'd you get yours? It's only a little less than a buck a foot here. http://www.fab-corp.com/product.php?pro ... 252&page=1

How to make a grown man cry. Nice

That's a professional looking solution geneb, nice work.

I've had really good experience with the fab-corp guys. They goofed on one part in one of my orders once, wrong gender connector, and had a replacement in my hands the next day! This was when I still lived in Fairbanks.

Thanks all.

I bought the coax from Texas Tower.

g.

That's cool. I love seeing real world applications of 3D printing.

Nice clamps - those could come in handy. I'm getting ready to put up my antenna in the next couple of weeks.

Are you planning on posting the stl files?

Marcel - W6MVS

At some point I'll post them. I haven't had the time yet.

g.

A very good job and an ingenious use of 3d printer.

Thanks!

g.