A Methusela of an Antenna Launcher

A while back I wrote an article for The ARS Sojouner entited "Antenna Launching for the Serious Practitioner." It combined a slingshot with a large-diameter, open-faced spool, originally designed for bow fishing. It worked beautifully (and still does). The spool thingamabob looked like this:.

But, human nature is frail. I wanted more.

So Google and I went on a hunt. The gizmo we found is one of the more thrilling toys I've encountered in a long time. It's called a pneumatic antenna launcher, and looks like this:

I built my device from a kit, which saved a lot of time. Go to this website, and you can read the whole story. Link to antennalaunchers.com

You might think that Methuselah resembles a spud gun or potato launcher. The similarity is only superficial. Methuselah, after all, is intended to launch a serious, scientific apparatus, like an antenna line, not a trivial vegetable, like a potato. Actually, the photo above tells only half the story. What makes Methuselah work so well is a large-diameter, open-faced spool (aha!). Here is the entire instrument, ready to roll.

Methuselah can be filled with anything that delivers pressurized air. At home, I use a compressor that formerly was intended for boring jobs, like filling tires. In the field, I use these nifty bottles of CO2, which I have filled at the paintball store in Eugene. I will admit that I feel strange standing in line with grim-faced gents, outfitted in camo and face paint, but it's worth it.

I must be truthful about an important flaw to the Methuselah story. It makes such a satsifying noise, and shoots the line so high, that you tend to lose interest in the greater enterprise. Several years ago, Bob Larkin, W7PUA, and I took Methuslah to a splendid Field Day site in Central Oregon. All went well until we realized that we really didn't want to turn on the radio.

In closing, I want you to examine this photo. The tree in the center is about 30 feet from my "shack." There is now a line looping over the upper branches, which required only a casual shot from Methesulah. According to my digital range finder, the line is 110 feet up there.

Russ Carpenter, AA7QU, Vida, Oregon