Technical bulletins

References for the RF industry

Technical sheets

"How-tos" on Shively products

• "Shively Labs Meets the Very Windy Mountain"
  from May-June 2008 Radio Guide
• "Shively Labs: Antennas That Work!"
  from September 2007 Radio Guide [279 kB]
• "Shively 6014 Dual Hybrid Antenna Solves a Dilemma"
  from September 2007 Radio Guide [232 kB]
• Vermont Public Radio's Mt. Mansfield Project (October '06)
• West Virginia Public Radio chooses BE, Shively (reprinted from Radio Currents, 6/5/06)
• Interdigital combining technology at 4 Times Square (July '05)
• 4 Times Square, NY: 21-station master FM project (April '04)
• Revolutionary IBOC test at Cougar Mountain (August '02)

Securing and Electrical Bonding of Flex Cables in Panel Antennas

Securing

It is vital that runs of flex cable be secured firmly at frequent intervals. This is done to prevent mechanical damage from cables rubbing against each other and tower members.

Electrical Bonding

Unjacketed cable sections must also be electrically bonded to nearby tower members and other cable runs.

Precautions

The following precautions must be taken when securing and bonding unjacketed cables:

• Care must be taken not to crush or deform the outer conductor of the cable.
• Tower paint must be scraped to ensure good electrical contact for the bond. The scraped area may be re-painted after the electrical bond is made.

Procedure

To prevent mechanical damage, cables should be secured and bonded any time they pass within 4 inches of each other or a tower member.

Cable runs longer than the following should be secured and bonded. These are approximate; secure and bond to tower members as actually available.

* Recommended per flex cable manufacturer.

Various hangers and clamps are available from various sources for securing cable and achieving a good electrical bond. Shively will supply cable clamps ("butterfly clamps") with your antenna in a quantity based on our best guess of your needs - but every tower and installation is unique! Therefore, additional cable clamps as required and round and angle tower member clamps should be supplied by your rigger.

	Shively will not be responsible for installations that don't meet our recommendations.

Cable to Flat, Round, or Angle Tower Member:

Use hangers and hose clamps, as shown on the enclosed sheet, to secure and electrically bond the cable.

Cable to Cable:

Use two cable clamps and a full-threaded bolt or threaded rod with nuts, as shown in figure 1 of this sheet, to secure and electrically bond the cables together.

	Printer-friendly Adobe Acrobat version
	Get Acrobat Reader (free download)