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[TowerTalk] securing loose element ends

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] securing loose element ends
From: Kathy Bookmiller <wb2aio@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:48:16 -0700 (PDT)
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Hi TT'ers,
I was putting together my Hygain Ex 14 today and found something I hadn't 
expected. When tightening up the hose clamps to secure the ends of the elements 
(7/16") that regardless of how hard I cranked the clamps, the tips were still 
loose enough that they could easily be pulled out-maybe 10# of pressure! Now I 
don't want to get this up in the air and find that with the wind vibration that 
they'll move in or out. 
My question is what would be a more permanent way to secure them-I'm thinking 
along the lines of aluminum pop rivets or a zip screw or two. The pop rivets 
would be aluminum and the zip screws are steel (zip screws is what I call them, 
I've heard them called other things. They are short self taping screws used in 
duct work in the HVAC industry)
Also, I was surprised to see that Hygain no longer wants one to use a mating 
compound on where the elements slide together, but says the raw aluminum on 
aluminum is sufficient. I remember years ago they used to include a small 
canister of the paste-which I still have left from prior antennas from them. 
This antenna was used, maybe ten years old, and whatever compound the previous 
owner used had dried into a hard crystalline compound that made taking the 
antenna apart very difficult. At this point I almost wished I had left it alone 
but I completely dissembled it and cleaned out all the elements and traps which 
were packed with dead insect debris, and I do mean packed!
It is only the ends of elements that have this looseness problem, the other 
sections seem to clamp up tight enough.
Thoughts?,
Kathy



      
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