HF Antenna Cable

Removing the solar panels presented an opportunity to tidy up the connection between the HF radio cable and the backstay, which acts as the boat's antenna. 

The connection is a crude one, with bare wire held tightly to the backstay using universal clamps.  Crude but effective, because I was speaking to South Africa twice a day until I reached Cape Leeuwin at Australia's southwest corner. 

Connection above insulator

Spacers in place

I removed the clamps, cut off the partially corroded bare wire, exposed fresh wire by cutting back the insulation, sanded the backstay, then clamped the wire to the backstay. 

I then replaced some of the separators that maintain a gap between the HF cable and the non-antenna part of the backstay.  This gap minimizes the leaching of the transmission energy from the antenna cable to the backstay, presumably through inductance.  The spacers are sections of fuel hose and everything is held in place using thick plastic cable ties.  Very effective.