Cutting the Back Stay

[wind rose ll]

I've purchased the sta-lok insulators and will be installing them this weekend but am still confused as to how long the section of backstay wire between the insulators should be...must it be an amount equal to the wave length.
l am running a yaseau Ft890 with an fc800 auto tuner.

[btrayfors]

No. It isn't critical, but a good length is 26-30 feet or so.

Too bad you're gonna break up a perfectly good backstay, as there are other cheaper and fully functional alternatives for most boats, like an "alternative backtay antenna" made of s/s lifeline.

But, hey...different strokes :-))

Bill
WA6CCA

[wind rose ll]

OK if l insulate the lifeline at the mast head l can take it of to the starboard side of the backstay and insulate the bottom to be attached to the outboard motor davit and drop a lead inside the davit pole.. thru the deck... to the tuner mounted in the lazzarette locker,,all without cutting the backstay.....but l installed a sta lok fitting a couple of years ago,on the bottom of the backstay and cut it a hair too short so l have to use a halyard to pull the mast back so l can rig the boat in the spring...hence if l installed the insulators in the backstay l can correct my short backstay.

[btrayfors]

Sounds like you're halfway there already!

I just hate to see folks cut up a perfectly good backstay when in most cases there's no need!

Cheers,

Bill

[wind rose ll]

Thanks Bill...l may just purchase a new backstay to correct my previous mistake and run a seperate long wire.
Dave
God, l hate indicission!

[wind rose ll]

Bill; could you advise of the fitting/hardware required to attach the lead to my backstay?
Also l have enough backstay length to extend beyond your recomended 26 to 30 ft...any advantage to extending it??
How far from the masthead would you suggest the first insulator be placed?
Regards
Dave

[btrayfors]

Dave,

Length isn't critical. Longer favors the lower HF bands; shorter favors the higher bands. But, any length over about 23' or so will work.

I'd keep the upper insulator a few feet from the truck of the mast.

Assume from your questions you've decided to install an upper insulator in the regular backstay in order to lengthen it a bit to correct an earlier "short cut" :-)

As for attaching the GTO-15 lead wire to the backstay, there's no magic here. Anything that is clean, tight, strong, and waterproof. Small hose clamps, s/s wire clamps, or whatever. But, after installing them they should be covered with tape and/or some waterproof compound to reduce the formation of surface corrosion which could affect the bonding.

Bill

[wind rose ll]

Thanks Bill..l just thought that a fitting similar to a grounding connector for cold water pipe may be available.
l guess the SS clamp will work and be a lot less $$$
Dave

[wind rose ll]

Well i had to cut the backstay to install the insulators so after several exact measurements the required cuts were initiated to install the Sta Lok fittings....but wait....the *&%&%$* insulators were the wrong size!!!
Anyone looking for brand new Sta Lok backstay insulators for 9/32" rigging wire ??? Give me a call!! My backstay is 5/16"
Back to the Bill Trafors method...a separate long wire from the mast head.....why is it the simple lessons cost soo much. New backstay..stemball fittings...running around to the rigging shop...
I concede Bill....
Dave
Wind Rose ll

[btrayfors]

Uggggh! That's really tough, Dave. So sorry for the hard lesson.

But, hey, look on the bright side. Now you have not just one but two backstays, both spankin' new :-)

Let us know how the antenna works out for you, OK?

Bill

[wind rose ll]

I'm looking at it as having two new back stays a spare shroud and a bunch of little pieces of wire with a couple of brand new useless (to me) insulators...l had considered changing my back stay to 9/32 but if l had a failure that lesson would be too costly.
Dave

[mike d.]

if you cut the orig. back stay to short before why can't you add a toggle or piece of chain ect., what have you to compensate and make up the dif. on the back stay.

[wind rose ll]

Still at this project Bill..too many distractions this season...My radio ground is to be afixed to a dynaplate and the mast is also grounded to this same dynaplate...should l have any problems with this setup?
Dave

[btrayfors]

Dave,

Hey, you gotta get with the project, man. Distractions? From boating?

As you probably know, I HATE dynaplates. Because they're unnecessary. Because they're a ripoff. Because if they work at all it's only in the first few months, after which you better find a way to keep 'em clean. Near impossible. Save your money.

(End of rant).

It probably won't matter much, though it's good practice to keep your DC grounds separate from your RF grounds. As you're planning to connect your RF ground to the dynaplate-cum-lightning ground, that will work just fine for frying your tuner when lightning hits :-)

Sorry. I just can't abide dynaplates.

Bill

[wind rose ll]

I just love your sensitivity....the Dyna plate is just handy at the moment hence the querry,l wish to have this thing operational this season.
My Refer unit has gone south on me so l have to do that next..replaced all the head hoses earlier this season...boy l will be glad when l retire..I'll have time for these projects.
Dave