GA Towertalkians,
I just caught up with the discussion on fixing snapped antenna wires and/or
adding length to dipoles. Some time ago I bought a big box of
'self-soldering sleeves' at a Junk Sale. These are probably 20 years old,
and I am curious to know if anyone else has come across them, and whether
or not they are still being made.
Each is a thin copper tube about 2in long. On the outside of the tube is a
sulphur patch (like on a safety match) and a hard black compound which gets
very hot. Inside the tube is some solder.
What you do is:
1. Scrape/clean 1.5in of each broken wire.
2. Push the wires into the tube.
3. Hold the tube with a small pair of grips.
4. Draw the patch across the striker on the box
(i.e. light the 'match')
5. Wait a few seconds, then press the wires into the softening solder.
6. Hold tight for about a minute, until it cools.
7. Scrape off the burnt residue from the outside of the tube, and insulate
the joint.
I've used these several times in the field and they work very well. I
usually 'crimp' the ends of the tube slightly when the solder's still
tacky. I haven't had one fail yet.
73
Al, GM4BAP
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