Paul,
You will not have to change the BLUE "Donut" insulators just because of the
color they are.
Only change them if they are cracked and if they are loose ( Try to pry one
off the end
of the tubing and see it is securely attached or moves easy - moving easy is
bad as they could
wiggle off in the winds as the elements flex ! If they are not cracked and
secure - no chage necessary
but if they are not cracked but can move easily causing the inner and outer
sections of Aluminum to move
then you should pry them off the end of that section of tubing and use a
coating of RTV type sealant to
affix them back onto the end of the tubing. Be sure the RTV ( or Silicone
Rubber Sealant as I sometimes call the RTV,
is rated to be out in direct sunlight and also that the sealant is rated to
be used on aluminum as some RTVs
are for indoor use and non metalic material. I think General Electric
Silastic II is one of the appropriate ones
and is sold at most major hardware stores in U.S. but not sure of UK market.
I am not sure in the sequence of KLM changing the OTHER colors of the
insulators
but the other colors were
Black
White
Orange
Green
All I have been informed
I think BLUE was on e of the later colors used and I recall that with the
Green amd some of the Black ones
different settings had to be made tro the antenna
Best just get it togther and seal Donuts if necessary and get it about 5
to 7 mtrs in tha air at minimum just toi
see if it loads up OK
Then if the SWR is not off on certain bands, adjust the element settings as
described in manual for better SWR
One problem you may run into is that one of the colors and I don't recall
which, requird new sections
of the smaller diameter long pieces of tubing, to be replaced and if the
antenna has any buildup of corroision,
getting those sections replaced required cleaning the old ones beofre the
various differnt colored Donut insulatios
had to be slid off and removed ( NOT A FUN and very Time consuming Job )
I hope all this makes ssome sense to you and if not send me your telephone
number anda best time to call you ( UTC ) and
we can dicuss by phone .
73, Dennis N6KI
San Diego
On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 5:17 AM, Paul Young <paul@g0hwc.com> wrote:
> Hi Dennis,
> i just got my KT34 and the insulators are blue ?
> Will i still need to replace them ? they look OK
> Will this give the date of the antenna ?
>
> Paul G0HWC
> http://www.g0hwc.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Dennis Vernacchia <n6ki73@gmail.com>
> *To:* Paul Young <paul@g0hwc.com>
> *Cc:* TowerTalk@contesting.com
> *Sent:* Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:47 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [TowerTalk] KLM KT34-A info
>
> Paul,
>
> There were different settings for element pieces due to changes in the
> small ,
> what I call, Half Donut insulators. These hold together and insulate the
> capacitive
> tubing sections of the elements. They look like a donut that has been
> hollowed out and cut in half
>
>
> The little "half donut" ( about 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch diameter ) insulators
> came in the following colors as the later models of KT-34 progressed
>
> Black
>
> White
>
> Orange
>
> Green
>
> and I think in that order with black being the early model KT-34 antennas
>
> I recall that KLM manufactured a BAD set of BLACK insulators at one point
> and they used
> something in the plastic for coloring the insulators black that turned out
> either
> to be somewhat conductive ( not a good thing ) or had a dielectric constant
> that caused
> hams to have lots of trouble tuning the antenna !!!! Hopefully if the
> antenna was in use one time and
> resonated properly you won't have this issue.
>
> I think the original instruction sheets were for the black insulators and
> the 2nd set
> ( and I sure hope there weren't a set 3 or 4 of instructions ) handle the
> White, Orange and Green Insulators.
>
> So I hope this info will help you on what instruction sheet to use
> or when you get the antenna, see which instruction sheet natches the
> current construction and go with
> that set of instructions for a starter.
>
> I also suggest you check and see if any of these half donut insulators
> worked loose
> and highly suggest using a non conductive, non UV RTV type of sealant to
> hold
> insulators in place. If they can pry off of the tubing section they are on,
> they will eventually
> work loose in the wind causing a short in element sections so if you can
> easily pry them loose, apply
> the sealant where the insulator pushes on the end of aluminum tubing
> sections to be sure they never work loose in the air
> ( Again, be very careful what sealant you use, maybe K7LXC who comments
> often on this reflector can guide you on what
> Dow Corning or GE sealant to use )
>
>
> My $ 0.02 cents
>
> 73, Dennis N6KI
>
>
> I recall that one of these colrs
>
> On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 12:22 PM, Paul Young <paul@g0hwc.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>> I have managed to buy a KLM KT34-A 4 element beam.
>> I have paid for it but have yet to collect it from up north.
>> I managed to find a site with the manual but 2 are listed
>> one is listed as (1980) and one is (1983)
>> http://www.hamanuals.com/miscmans.html from here if anyone needs them
>> I have downloaded both but from my quick look at them, they look the same?
>> When I collect the beam, how do I tell what one I have got?
>>
>> I have been told it had only 6 months use from new and has been in storage
>> ever since.
>> all the elements have been kept fully built and just need to be fitted
>> back on the boom.
>> Any hints or trips or known problems?
>>
>> Looking forward to putting up my new toy :-)
>>
>> Paul G0HWC
>>
>> Check out my website www.g0hwc.com *Echolink node MB7ICL-L
>> "381900"*
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>
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