Antenna in tree

[qwick745]

New user, thanks for having me in the forum.

I'm interested in installing a radio antenna on the top of a pine tree and wanted to see if people could give me a bit of guidance. House is very low lying with dense tree cover all over unfortunately. I have a more experienced arborist who is going to be helping me out, but he's never done one so I wanted to reach out to ya'll for advice. I've read through some other forums about it and if anyone could first chime in on the consensus I've seen I'd appreciate it.

They seem to suggest to cut the top off once the trunk diameter gets down to about 4", and to then bore through it at two points 2-3 feet above each other, and through bolt with washer and nut, then connect the a short pipe between the two bolts to give something vertical that the antenna would be connected to just above the top. I'd then run the cable down the trunk, using stainless steel screws every once in a while to secure the cable with screw hole head zip ties, leaving the screws sticking out a half inch or so to allow for growth.

A few specific questions.
1. I'm assuming I should also run something like a #10 ground wire to ground the antenna.
2. Should I put the cable and ground wire in something like metal flex conduit? I'm in NC and we have a ton of squirrels, but I'm not sure how much they would gnaw on a wire like this or not. I'm guessing they would eventually as it's only ~1/4" in diameter, but again I don't know. I could use liquidtight flexible PVC, or even just split plastic tubing, but only the metal flex seems like it would stand the test of time/squirrels if they do want to chew.
3. For the antenna attachment, I believe I don't want too much of a base of something pressed against the tree trunk, even at the top to prevent mold or damage to the tree - instead of through bolts should I really just be using large gauge and length screws instead so there aren't any washers pressed up against the trunk at the top?

Thanks so much for any insight anyone can give.

 

[ATpro]

Remember some antenna's need a ground plane. The antenna will be grounded through the coax shielding no need to run extra wire, and you should run the coax to a coax grounding block for lighting protection, the grounding block should be ground to a ground stake. If you use a directional antenna you don't need a ground plane but you do need a grounding block if the antenna is outside.

This link applies to cellar antenna's but also applies to any antenna that requires a ground plane.
What is a ground plane

 

[qwick745]

Remember some antenna's need a ground plane. The antenna will be grounded through the coax shielding. If you use a direcional antenna you don't need a ground plane.

What is a ground plane

Thanks for noting that. Yes, I'll likely be using a Nearson 9dBi that comes with radial spokes to form the ground plane (915MHz, so they're fairly short). Otherwise I'll be using a dipole that won't need it.

 

[holeycow]

Wipe all of your sweat from your hands off the cable/equipment. Use something like lysol. Something that tastes really bad. Hairspray, etc...Then your cable/equipment MIGHT not get chewed. Once the critters are over the novelty of the new hardware in their tree you might be good for a bit. Yup, conduit might be the best way.

 

[ATpro]

If you want to keep the critters away use Flexo® Rodent Resistant cable covering. Handle it with care, best use gloves because it can irritate the skin, eyes and such.