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Today I noticed that a piece of RG-58 that's feeding a Beverage antenna for HF was in two pieces. On further inspection it turned out to be cut. On further inspection I think it's actually chewed by some animal.

At the risk of this post being deleted for being vastly off-topic I think that some fellow hams out there have also come in very close contact with nature's hungry cable chewers.

Can anyone of you identify whether this was malicious or just a rodent of sorts?

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The cable is out in a paddock with spikey shrubs and grass. No cattle around but I did see a horse at one stage. Plenty of mice and falcons too. I live on the East Coast of Australia so it could be cockatoos but the cut marks don't look obvious to me.

Scott Earle
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captcha
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2 Answers2

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This looks like a relatively clean cut. I would say mice or other rodents. You can deter then by getting a cat, or maybe mouse traps. Snakes also work.

While this does involve coax, this sounds more like a question for an SE that deals with animal identification (not sure if there is one).

Daniel
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  • Thanks, I was wondering too which SE would be a better fit but I thought this would be a good starting point. There's plenty of snakes in the paddock so they probably can't keep up with what's on offer.. – captcha Nov 24 '15 at 02:00
  • If you want to prevent it, use hardline (something too big for the rats to get a bite on) – Daniel Nov 24 '15 at 05:05
  • Hmm.. may look into that. Would putting it inside half-inch pvc tube be any good? It's going to be in the blistering sun a fair bit.. – captcha Nov 24 '15 at 05:18
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    Oh yeah definitely. If you encase it in something heavy (like PVC - or electrical conduit, which looks like grey PVC but is a million times stronger and UV resistant I believe) then the rats won't touch it. If you really wanted to booby trap the mice, take that PVC pipe and put it inside a second PVC pipe which is pressurized with water. *bite* *spray in face* – Daniel Nov 24 '15 at 14:33
  • Can't wait to see the look on their faces! Muhaha.. Anyways.. thanks for the feedback. I think the pvc pipe enclosed idea might not be that silly after all. Anyone else doing this (or not for a specific reason)? – captcha Nov 24 '15 at 21:59
  • Could it have been cut into by a mower, machete, edger, weed whip or even a disgruntled neighbor ? – Optionparty Nov 30 '16 at 15:34
  • Mower or machete possibly, but not a weed whacker I don't think (unless you have a really powerful one). Disgruntled neighbors are definitely a possibility, but they fall under rodents. – Daniel Nov 30 '16 at 15:46
  • @Optionparty nice suggestions, but sorry, none of the above could apply. The coax is in a large paddock and does not get close to any grass trimming devices as the soil is almost swamp-like. No neighbors in sight either. I think Daniel's answer would be my best guess too so far. – captcha Dec 01 '16 at 03:08
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Those regular cuts along the side of the cable are typical of a mechanical device of some sort. I am thinking that it has been mowed or at the very least run over by something sharp.

Mark
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