I too use split nuts for all connections on the wire antennas. Solder
does not last long at all around here.
My 5 C3i Yagi antennas (two 11L 440, Two 12L 144, and one 7L 6-meter)
use a coax match. I'm not sure how long the solder joints lasted on the
coax matching sections, because they were unused for about 4 years. They
had been up less than 10 years and when taken down, all the solder
joints but one had failed. They had at least 3 coats of clear Krylon
when put up. The 144 and 440s are not going to be put back up. I hope
to mount the 7L 6-meter C3i about 10' above the C19XR on the LM470.
When I put the 7L 6-meter ant back up, it's going to get several coats
of liquid electrical tape instead of the clear Krylon.
73
Roger (K8RI)
On 9/24/2016 Saturday 3:32 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
On Sat,9/24/2016 9:45 AM, Steve Jones wrote:
My full-sized 80M dipole is strung between two Douglas firs. At the
end of
the rope over the pulley at one end I use a gallon paint thinner can
with
the top cut off and filled with concrete. It rides up and down in
the wind
and keeps the dipole taught. Maybe it could use a little more
weight, like
a second such paint can.
My 80/40 fan dipoles are up about 140 ft and fed with RG11. Trees
supporting one of the dipoles are about 200 ft apart, the other about
145 ft. It takes a lot of weight to avoid excessive droop. Ropes at
both ends go through a pulley, one end is tied off, the other end has
the weight, which is a 13 gallon water jug filled with dry sand.
Weight is about 90#
The 80M element, which carries the tension, is #10 stranded THHN on
one antenna and #9 hard drawn copper on the other. The 40M element is
#12 THHN. The support rope on the longer run is 7/16-in Synthetic
Textiles, the rope on the shorter run is 5/16-in.
These antennas have been up about 9 years. Mechanical connections and
the rope are the weak spots. I've had no failures on the main support,
but did have one side of the 40M element break loose from it's
connection at the center. When I dropped that antenna to repair it, I
rebuilt it to replace the #10 THHN with the hard drawn copper. The
other antenna still has #10 THHN for 80M.
As to mechanical connections. Solder is a VERY BAD idea for wires
outside, especially if the soldered segment of the wire can flex or
vibrate. My electrical and mechanical connections are made using
split-bolt copper connectors. I loop the wire through the mechanical
support at the center insulator, strip enough that it 3-4 inches is
exposed, and use two split bolts to secure it. The split bolt closest
to the center has the wire going to the feedline. At the far end, I
use either two split bolts or two U-clamps (with an egg insulator).
73, Jim K9YC
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73
Roger (K8RI)
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