Filling your tubing with foam is the biggest nonsense I've ever heard.
Jim, it took me several years to figure out something that should be
obvious.
"If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right."
After watching a few flimsy antennas break and fall down I developed the
following strategy:
- If the plans call for 1/2 in. tubing, I use 5/8 in.
- I don't use copper wire, I use stranded Copperweld (Wireman), which
virtually never breaks or stretches
- I only use stainless steel hardware; no galvanized, etc.
- If the manufacturer suggests guying once, I guy twice. If he says twice,
I guy three levels.
In the meantime I feel confident that my antennas do not break and do not
come down in storms.
Ha ha
So when my XYL told me my "Spiderbeam" had come down in a storm and was
laying in the yard, I said "never".
Actually it wasn't the beam, it was the Spiderbeam 60' vertical dipole. She
doesn't understand the difference.
Spiderbeam says guy at 2 levels.
I guy it at 4 levels and use bungee cords with thin kevlar for the top level
guys.
It's stable as the Rock of Gibralter and can't possible come down.
Not much you can do when an entire tree falls down and hits your pole!
Murphy is alive and well.
As I said in an earlier post, because it was telescoping fiberglass, it only
cost me about $30 to repair, and it was again straight as an arrow.
73
Rick
-----Original Message-----
From: tentec-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com]
On Behalf Of Richards
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2011 6:59 PM
To: geraldj@weather.net; Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] New and Improved Terminology (NVIS origins)
Cool. That is a new one on me. The photo really helps me visualize it.
A local ham suggested I fill the tubing with that expanding foam
insulation stuff that comes in a aerosol can... thinking it would
expand, and become stiff and dampen any vibration from flexing. I had
not thought of that... and am not too sure it will do what we intend...
but it also is a different approach.
DX-Engineering agrees with Rick... I need heavier, larger sized tubing.
(But that is 1) too easy, and 2) fails to use what I have on hand.
(I understand that scrounging and using parts on hand is a venerable old
ham tradition!)
Thanks for the idea. Kind of a "pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps"
solution... but one that works.
================ James -K8JHR =========================
On 1/7/2011 10:33 PM, Dr. Gerald N. Johnson wrote:
> You can solve your willowy tubing with stay wire braces, probably want
> to use a poly rope instead of wire. Stay wire braces have been used on
> slim masts, elevator legs (for grain transfer at an angle), crane booms,
> and vintage aircraft wings.
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