Tension check on temporary span best tools?

[thevoltvanguard163]

I've set up a temporary span between two anchor poles for a light-duty aerial line, and I want to make sure the sag is within specs before we put any load on it. I don't have a tension gauge with me. Has anyone here ever used simple methods like the return wave or the stopwatch trick to estimate sag? I've heard that some crews still rely on those for quick checks. I'm also wondering if anyone has tried using the Sagwatch or similar calibrated tools out in the field, are they worth it for quick setups?

Appreciate any advice!

 

[Gallagher]

I've used the stopwatch trick a few times, basically counting the time it takes for a wave to travel back and forth along the line to estimate tension and sag and its surprisingly good enough for quick checks when you don't have fancy gear, feel on you on that

 

[Erwann78]

Sagwatch and other tools can make things faster and more consistent, but theyre a bit pricey and take some getting used to. If you're doing this a lot, they're worth it, but for one-offs, the old-school methods do the job just fine.

 

[Reaper]

My concern would be relying on rough stopwatch or wave methods for a load-bearing line without proper tension verification, you risk too much sag under load, which could compromise both safety and performance