Phillystran Project

In the 1990's I had long periods when I was inactive and did not have time or interest in antenna and tower maintenance.  By 2002, the 3/16" galvanized 7x19 strand aircraft cable guys on both my towers were showing significant corrosion after almost 24 years of use.

Corroded Guy

As a replacement, I decided to use Phillystran HPTG6700I cable.  I liked the idea of a guy cable that was non-conductive and would therefore not distort antenna patterns or be subject to corrosion, like the galvanized cable I had been using.

In the fall of 2002 I replaced all three levels of guys on my 120ft Rohn 45G tower and in the spring of 2003 I replaced all three levels of guys on my 100ft tower. 

Phillystran Guy Grips

Convenient guy grips (Phillystran PLP-Big Grip Dead-Ends) are available to provide end terminations for the Phillystran cable.  The pictures in the following link show the steps required to attach the guy grips to the Phillystran.  The first one or two you assemble might seem difficult, but after you have some experience the work goes more quickly.  For a step-by-step pictorial Click Here.  Before performing this work, you should also carefully review the official Phillystran guy grip installation instructions available in the Burghardt Amateur Center link at the bottom of this page.

Terminating the Ends of Phillystran Cable

To help prevent damage from animals, brush fires, or vandalism, Phillystran recommends that steel cable be used for the portion of the guy run near the ground.  The picture below shows the method I used to transition from Phillystran to 1/4" galvanized steel cable.

Detail of Phillystran guy connection to Rohn 25G Guy Bracket

New Rohn 25G Guy Bracket

Find information on Phillystran at: