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Re: [TowerTalk] Caps (was: Hose Clamps)

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Caps (was: Hose Clamps)
From: K8RI <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:58:29 -0500
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 2/1/2013 10:49 AM, john@kk9a.com wrote:
Certainly it is possible for an insect nest to close off a tube however a

Unfortunately it's not. As I said in an earlier post, I've seen towers felled by a spider web. It's rare, but it happens


PVC end cap will definitely seal the end and possibly trap moisture.
Usually the ends of the elements and boom are the lowest points of the
antenna so it could be full of water. Somehow my previous post on what I
do with my homebrew antennas caused mostly criticism. I know that Telrex
did not supply end caps with the products that I purchased from them years
ago and they built heavy duty antennas. I am not sure what other
manufacture's do. This is my last comment on this subject.

Likewise, I've never used end caps on elements and had no problems...well other than a 5L KLM on a tower at the East end of the house over in Breckenridge MI. It was NOISY! Man, but those elements did sing and at times, buzz.

I had 5L on 20, 6L on 15 (KLMs) and a 7L on 10 (Wilson) on separate towers. pair of phased 1/4 wave verticals on 40 with half wave spacing for a pair of figure 8 patterns. It probably would have worked better with 1/4 wave spacing so I could have gotten nulls off the back when working Europe Booms had end caps and weep holes but nothing on the elements. You should have seen those elements after the big ice storm back in the 70's. The element tips were pointing almost straight down, yet nothing broke.

Over half a mile of power line collapsed just to the West of us while the line across the field to the pole with the transformer was sagging to about 3 feet off the ground (maximum span)

We spent nearly two weeks without power and ended up with over a foot of water in a finished basement.

None of the station was damaged, but that was one cold house for two weeks. not many of us had generators back in those days.

73

Roger (K8RI)

John KK9A


To:      <TOWERTALK@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Caps (was: Hose Clamps)
From:    "Patrick Greenlee" <patrick_g@windstream.net>
Date:    Fri, 1 Feb 2013 07:58:10 -0600

Here in Oklahoma we have insects we call "Mud Daubers" (look like wasps)
that tend to close off most any openings they encounter with mud which
dries to a good seal. Unfortunately, the holes most often closed are
ones best left open such as ventilation for motors, furnace flues, and
on and on but antennas are sometimes targeted.

Patrick AF5CK

-----Original Message----- From: Jerry Gardner
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 4:47 PM
To: john@kk9a.com
Cc: TOWERTALK@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Caps (was: Hose Clamps)

On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 2:35 PM, <john@kk9a.com> wrote:

I do not put caps on any of my antenna elements or booms. I have never
had
an issue from using nothing and I don't have to worry about moisture
accumulating.


What about spiders and other assorted bugs?


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