[CQ-Contest] Contesting on a Budget - Your inputs, thanks!

[Paul Schaffenberger]

I've gotten several great inputs so far for the May-June column, but I know there are more out there!  Thanks in advance for your great support of this column!

Recycled Aluminum

It is often cheaper to rebuild an old beam than to buy new.  What are your favorite rebuilding tips? What are the best systems to rebuild?  Where do you find replacement parts?  Is it worth salvaging old or broken/bent systems?  How do you use new design software to make the “resurrected” system even more capable?  What physical and durability improvements do you recommend?

 

Additional thoughts:  Has anyone made hybrid beams using, for example, a trapped reflector of one manufacturer and driven element of another.  N4BP has used one half of a trapped triabander driven element on his camper as a vertical, anyone else tried either this are a variation of this?  

Again, it is your insight and inputs that has made this column interesting and fun for me, and hopefully for the rest of the contest community.

Thanks again for your inputs.

Paul, K5AF