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Re: Topband: V160HD Titanex

To: <richard@karlquist.com>, <k8fc@k8fc.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: V160HD Titanex
From: john battin <jbattin@msn.com>
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 11:13:26 -0500
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
I have not been able to find tubing akin to what titanex uses.... By the way I 
have 18 Titanex in the air. (and lots of scrap on the ground). If someone needs 
a piece or two for a repair let me know.This stuff is some alloy... very hard 
...very light. The pure titanium on the price sheet given below is not it. The 
titanex tubes have a seam... and go do not telescope directly ... they use 
various aluminum adapters.

 

John K9DX

 
> Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2010 19:21:35 -0700
> From: richard@karlquist.com
> To: k8fc@k8fc.com
> CC: topband@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: Topband: V160HD Titanex
> 
> Somebody correct me if I am mistaken, but the Titanex antennas
> are mainly a collection of pieces of tubing. It would be easy
> to reverse engineer the dimensions. I see that Titanium tubing
> is available here:
> 
> http://www.titaniumsports.com/TITANIUM%20TUBING%20PRICE%20LIST.pdf
> 
> Yes, of course, it is expensive.
> 
> Does anyone know the alloy that Titanex uses?
> 
> Apparently, high end bicycles are built with 3% aluminum 2.5% vanadium
> alloy. The tubes I mentioned above have 120 ksi ultimate tensile 
> strength. OTOH, 7075 aluminum is 83 ksi and even 6061-T6 is 45 ksi.
> Considering that titanium is 50% heavier than aluminum, I don't
> see where the strength to weight ratio is better for titanium vs 7075.
> It would be a win against 6061-T6.
> 
> Comments?
> 
> Rick N6RK
> 
> Joe Wilkowski wrote:
> > Folks, this past winter my V160S was destroyed by the winds in Colorado. I 
> > have been trying in vain to replace this antenna with a Titanex V160HD and 
> > nothing has worked. The manufacturer, Titanex, was extremely slow in 
> > responding to repeated requests about the availability and shipping to the 
> > US. Finally they got back to me and said that they were having "trouble" 
> > with their export license and could not export to the US. I then tried to 
> > go through another vendor in Europe who indicated that IF they could get 
> > the product from Titanex they could export. Investigating further I found 
> > out that it could not be sent via a container in an Ocean going vessel 
> > without special handling. Lastly, the cost to have it flown to the US was 
> > virtually the same or more than the cost of the antenna in the first place. 
> > 
> > I am now wondering how in the world all the US hams who own a Titanex V160 
> > HD ever got the thing in the first place.
> > 
> > Is there anyone out there that owns a V160HD and wants to part with it ? I 
> > really do want to put up the same antenna or even another V160S. Or is 
> > there a special secret to getting these things over here from Europe ?
> > 
> > I must say this has been a frustrating experience at the very least.
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > 
> > Joe K8FC
> > _______________________________________________
> > UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
> > 
> > 
> _______________________________________________
> UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
                                          
_______________________________________________
UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK

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