Stew,
If you study the 40-2CD loading coils (and the Cushcraft traps) carefully,
you will find that they are only water resistant on the coils side with the
wire being covered with heat shrink.
Unfortunately, the ends of the coil are not sealed. Therefore, water which
will eventually get inside the tubing elements (especially at the feed
point), will invariably flow down the inside of the tubing and eventually
inside the coil as it heads for the tip of the element (where it may freeze
and burst the element in cold climates!).
As a result, the water does flow inside and will wick up the screws of the
loading coils. If the screws are plated (vice stainless steel), they will
eventually rust!
73,
Joe, W1JR
At 12:02 PM 9/23/2002 -0700, GALE STEWARD wrote:
>This message will have text!
>
>I did the coil mod on my 40-2CD a year or so ago. I
>cut the original shtink tubing only enough to get to
>the self tapping screw. I found something strange. On
>three of the coils, the original self tapping screw
>was rusted/corroded and there was some corrosion
>evident in the aluminum tubing. On the remaining coil,
>the screw and aluminum tubing were bright and shiny
>just like when it was originally assembled. The shrink
>tubing on all four coils was in good shape and looked
>identical. They all spent that same amount of time up
>in the air. Go figure! Anyway, do the mod! I also
>added the second machine screw at each joint oriented
>90 degrees to the original as per the W6NL info.
>
>73, Stew K3ND
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