LIGHTWEIGHT CENTER INSULATORS

CHEAP, EASY, AND EFFECTIVE !

I believe in and practice "KISS" dilligently.

Here you see my home-brew 25 cent insulator.

• Made of a small piece of Plexyglas, about twice the width of the window line
• Strain-relief using the insulation of the feedline plus two UV-resistant wire ties
• 4 holes drilled in the insulator
• all wires enter the top through their own dedicated hole
• then fold 180 degrees and in pairs, project from the bottom, back through a common hole to the top
• there they are twisted together, soldered and trimmed
• then coated with liquid electrical tape

It is important to note that I almost always support the center of my dipoles or Inv.-V's on a pole, mast, or tree.  That way the wires can hang loose, without much tension on them.  It  also only requires one elevated support.

When I see the complex methods used by others for protecting dipole ends from swaying trees (i.e. buckets of cement  bouncing up and down in the wind), it's hard not to laugh at this needles complexity.  

The maximum current radiation of a 1/2 wl dipole is at its center and it is important that this point be kept as high as possible.  The ends can be somewhat lower without harming performance.

Using lightweight material including this lightweight center insulator, we are able to mount the feedpoint high in the air, even when using lightweight inexpensive poles as a support.