The Texas Towers Web catalog lists all the tubing sizes with
OD, ID and for the mathematically challenged, the wall thickness.
Note that there is a small gap between adjoining sizes to allow
for telescoping.
I had about 40' of their tubing sticking out of the top of a Hy-Gain
Hy-Tower. Made a very nice 80 Meter vertical. The secret was a
length of poly rope that I epoxied at the top, and bottom, after
applying tension to the rope. I expect the same should be done to
these 66' verticals, except they will need to be guyed. Left free-
standing is an invitation to bent aluminum.
73, Dick, W1KSZ
> Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:46:12 -0400
> From: K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net
> CC: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] DX Engineering 66-Foot Vertical?
>
>
>
> 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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