Practical_Antenna_Handbook_0071639586

C h a p t e r 2 8 : S u p p o r t s f o r W i r e s a n d V e r t i c a l s 639
Figure 28.12 Mounting mast schemes.
• For those with strong throwing arms whose trees aren’t very tall, a baseball
with a 3 ⁄16-Âin hole drilled through its center may do the trick. Simply tie one end
of some light nylon twine through the center and a half-Âcircumference of the
ball. Lay out the twine on clear ground in front of you. (Clearly, this doesn’t
work very well in the middle of the woods!)
• Many techniques start with a projectile trailing fish line behind it as it is
launched, since fish line is lighter than commonly available twine. The fish line
should be wound on a spinning or fixed spool fishing reel. Attach the reel (with
duct tape) near one end of a 2-Â or 3-Âft length of wooden dowel, and push the
other end into the earth at about a 45-Âdegree angle so it is aimed up high in the
targeted tree. There is a tradeoff between the strength of the fish line and how
much total weight the projectile can haul up in the air behind it; experiment
with different line weights in conjunction with your chosen reel and projectile.
Once the fish line is up and over the target tree, attach nylon twine to the far end
and reel the fish line back in. Then attach the halyard or an intermediate line to
the end of the nylon twine that has been pulled through the tree top. (An
assistant to spool out the twine is an extremely helpful addition to this part of
the project!)