I agree with Don. I did this years ago for a frame for a EME array. I could
not get it to come apart if I wanted to. Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: Don Moman VE6JY <ve6jy.1@gmail.com>
To: TOWERTALK@contesting. com <TOWERTALK@contesting.com>
Sent: Mon, Sep 15, 2014 2:19 am
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Joining Boom Tubing
Run a slit down the 2IPS40 pipe, compress it to get it in, then it'll
expand and will work perfectly....
73 Don
VE6JY
On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 6:17 AM, Don Moman VE6JY <ve6jy.1@gmail.com> wrote:
> Run a slit down the 2IPS40 pipe, compress it to get it in, then it'll
> expand and will work perfectly....
>
> On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 6:02 AM, L L bahr <pulsarxp@embarqmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> I'm slowly building up a 40 meter Moxon Beam and the boom needs to be
>> somewhere between 24 and 27 foot long depending on the article used to
>> build it. The boom has me stuck. As all of you know, most aluminum is
>> sold in 6 foot lengths for shipping purposes. That means the tubes need to
>> be connected. I'm at the point where I need to determine what I am going
>> to use for boom material and how to connect the segments.
>>
>> I have some 2 1/2 inch aluminum tubing I bought surplus many years ago.
>> The stuff has a wall thickness of around 1/16th inch thick and is hard
>> aluminum, probably 6061 alloy. I've got plenty of it in 6 foot lengths.
>> It's gorgeous looking tubing and I initially figured and wanted to use it
>> for my boom material. However, I have been racking my brain out trying to
>> figure out how to join the sections. (The inside diameter is around 2
>> 3/8th inches ID.) I tried 2 inch schedule 40 pipe and it is a tad too large
>> in diameter to fit into this 2 1/2 inch OD tubing with an approximate 2-3/8
>> inch ID. (I thought maybe sanding down some schedule 40 aluminum pipe but
>> would I get it to really work?) I thought maybe turning some oak down to a
>> diameter to fit inside this tubing, I have hunted high and low for some
>> aluminum stock to either snuggly fit inside or outside this pipe with no
>> success. If I buy 3 inch OD tubing, it will have an ID of 2-3/4 inches. I
>> even thought of slicing the
>> ends open in the form of a cross in some 3 inch tubing and then use hose
>> clamps to secure things, but then the pipe would only be tight on one end
>> of the joining pipe. I thought maybe of slicing the 3 inch pipe open along
>> it's length and then use hose clamps to pull it tight and together again
>> around my existing pipe. The bottom line is I have not been able to figure
>> out how to use my tubing satisfactorily. I'm now starting to think maybe
>> my tubing is not the answer for my needed boom material. That really seems
>> like a big waste as I know if I bought this tubing new it would run big
>> bucks. A 40 meter Moxon is no small antenna so the boom material needs to
>> be decent and adequate for my purpose.
>>
>> That said, am I missing something here? Anyone on here who could get me
>> on a proper path? I need to either find of way to use my existing 6 foot
>> lengths of 2-1/2 OD tubing with a 2-3/8th inch ID or move on to something
>> else for the boom. I'd sure appreciate hearing from you experts as my
>> quandary has been bugging me for weeks now. Right now I am just spinning my
>> wheels going nowhere. I might add, I do not have a machine shop at my
>> QTH. I thought I would try one last time to figure out how to use my
>> tubing before I give up on that idea by asking you guys for advice. Any
>> and all comments would really be appreciated.
>>
>> Lee, w0vt
>> Houston
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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