Steve told me to relay my experiences to the group just in case there is
someone with even less common sense than me....if so, maybe I can save them
a little time and embarrassment.
I started assembling a Force 12 C-4 on Christmas night....it was late and I
was tired and I should have just gone to bed, but I didn't. The elements
are all bundling separately with the telescoping pieces of each half
collapsed inside each other. Very convenient, just telescope them out, line
up the rivet holes and rivet away, after putting on the supplied Noalox of
course. Unfortunately, the rivet holes didn't line up worth a darn (there
are 3 for each junction) and the length of each section and the total
overall length of the element was alarmingly off from the specs in the manual.
I was irritated and frustrated at the lack of QC of this product and angry
that my plans to install the C-4 this weekend were trashed. On Thursday I
called Force 12 but because it was a holiday period all I could do was leave
a message.....didn't help my frame of mind.
When I got home from work, I decided to start from scratch with the antenna.
I re-read the manual and found some interesting info that I missed the first
time. The telescoping components of each element can ONLY be assembled in
one direction because they are swaged on the end that accepts the smaller
piece. When I re-assembled the components correctly, I was amazed to find
that the measurements were all correct and all the rivet holes lined up. I
happily set about assembling several other elements with no other problems.
Tom N6BT called me back this morning but I missed him, maybe luckily <g> At
least I could call back and leave a message about my "discoveries" and not
have to admit my ignorance to him directly <g>
Geez, sorry this is so long......I wrote papers in college that were shorter
than this <g>
Lesson 1. Read the assembly manual
Lesson 2. Re-read the assembly manual
Lesson 3. Don't assume it's someone else's fault.
Happy New Year and may you get VK0IR on the first call!~
73 de Terry KK6T
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