For those of you that are interested in Cubical Quads and are
familiar with Calcutta poles, skip to the last paragraph. Others
should read all of the following.
Calcutta poles are similiar to bamboo in that they start with the
larger end called the butt and are linearly tapered to a smaller
end. Both have nocks that are separated by stretches of material
that is slightly less in diameter and may be as long as from 6 to
12 inches or thereabouts. Both have walls and are resistant to
bending. And there the similarity just about comes to a screeching
halt.
Bamboo has a relatively thin wall, sometimes no more than an
eighth of an inch, is subject to some cracking if not properly
cured and preserved.
Calcutta poles are nearly (and sometimes are) solid; they have less
taper than bamboo; the nocks are not as pronounced as bamboo nocks
and they are incredibly strong. They make nearly perfect quad
spreaders, to wit: I had a 4 el 10, 4 el 15, and 3 el 20 quad at 40
feet on a crankup tower, in Tucson, that got blown over by a solid
wall of 80+ mph wind that swept through Tucson and which took roofs
off of houses, blew down fences, etc. The Calcutta poles I used
bent (when the quad hit the roof of the one-story ranch style house)
with such force, they bent two of the 4 steel angle spiders. The
Calcutta poles however, did not break. I replaced the two bent
spiders and put the whole thing back up at 60 feet whereupon that
quad (and a homebrew 300 watt PEP transmitter won the 1966 ARRL DX
contest in competition with a lot of monobanders and a whole lot more
power. The point here is that THEY ARE STRONG!!
There is a source of a small amount of them (perhaps 50-75 poles)
at:
B & J Bait Company
1718 Butler Road,
Hopkinsville, KY
(502) 886-6813
They do not ship. It is necessary to pick them up. I picked up
24 poles, today. The cost is $10/pole. This is an incredible
bargain. Quad builders, be aware. When these are gone, there
aren't any more. The importer, B & M Fishing Supplies of West
Point, Miss are out of poles and have no intention of purchasing
any more. (It took them two years to get rid of an 18 wheeler filled
with them). The only other source I know of is:
Schempers Hardware,
Ripon, CA
(209) 599-2141
The motor freight would eat you alive unless you live close to
Ripon, CA.
Anyhooo, now you know more than I do. 73 es best Contesting!! Rod
Roderick M. Fitz-Randolph, W5HVV
79 Highland Hills Cove,
Jackson, TN 38305
(901) 661-9278 (Home Phone - after 10 AM & before 9 PM)
(901) 664-7539 (FAX Number - any time of day)
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