My 40m OptiBeams use square bend u-bolts to hole the elements to the boom.
I cannot imagine this easily failing and I would think that it is more
secure than a single hose clamp which are tricky to tighten properly.
A square boom makes it easy to align the elements and ensure that they are
level when the beam is attached to the mast. I use a lot of TIC Ring
Rotators and I am now sure how you would mount a square boom in their
cradle but there probably is a solution. That said I still like round
booms for my homebrew beams. I assemble everything on saw horses with a
level and I use t-bolt band clamps to secure the elements which can be
bolted very tight without stripping.
John KK9A
To:<towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject:Re: [TowerTalk] square vs round booms
From: "Peter Voelpel"
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2017 22:30:33 +0100
All 49 elements on my KLM antennas hold nicely for more then 30 years with a
single band clamp on the round boom.
I see problems with the square booms.
To get a rigid clamp of elements to the boom large size screws are necessary
for the clamp.
On Optibeams for instance the small diameter screws just get elongated until
they brake but do not hold the elements as good as those on my KLMs.
73
Peter, DJ7WW
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