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Re: [TowerTalk] DX Engineering 66-Foot Vertical?

Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] DX Engineering 66-Foot Vertical?
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:46:12 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>

Jim Brown wrote:
>> It would be interesting to see a printout of all the diameters, 
>> lengths wall thicknesses and any other relevant info for each of 
>> the aluminum tubing pieces that comprise one of these 66' vertical
>> antennas.
>>     
>
> Yes, it certainly would. But DXEngineering PAID an engineer to 
> design that antenna, and they deserve to sell that product to 
> recover their costs. It's what's called free enterprise. 
>
>   
And purchasing the tubing is free choice.  Almost any one on here could 
design an antenna like that in just a few minutes if they had a list of 
tubing sizes.  OTOH all they'd have to do is call the local aluminum 
tubing distributor (we have a large one in Saginaw about 20 miles from 
here), Ask what they had that would slip together to make something like 
that and they'd even do the work for you and it'd be cheaper still..  
For the base you get a piece of PVC conduit and U-bolts.  This is about 
as minimal an antenna you can get with the exception of a dipole and as 
easy to design. Of course there are many "manufactured" dipoles in use 
out there too. <:-))

You can't drive a car for less than 50 cents a mile unless it's old AND 
paid for.  People make the mistake of thinking it's only the cost of gas 
when driving. That was with gas cheaper than we have now, but what we 
have now isn't going to stay cheap. At-any-rate, it'd cost me a minimum 
of $20 to drive my old car to Saginaw and back so maybe I'd get enough 
to build three or four and take a couple hams with me.

If some one wants to purchase one from either company that is fine. OTOH 
it's fine if they want to build one as well.  That too is free enterprise.

I'd normally build one, but if time were of the essence I'd probably 
purchase one.  After all we aren't talking about amounts that would 
break most of us. OTOH in this economy I'd not want to neglect saving 
where I can.

Now it's back to the shop where my supposedly stable Vista Ultimate ate 
most of the programs on the computer and it took less than 30 seconds to 
do it. Oh, and the fan impeller for the top end video card fell off the 
motor shaft, which then over heated and shut down another computer.  
<sigh> There are drawbacks to "doing it yourself"<:-))  But I have to 
admit computers are easier to work on than plumbing and take fewer trips 
into town. OTOH with all the  Hard Drives running on the network 
failures are not uncommon.

73

Roger (K8RI)

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