[CQ-Contest] 15m Yagi question

[john at kk9a.com]

Hy-Gain typically uses Ø7/16 element tips with a very thin wall, not  
7/8.  I have owned a couple of Hy-Gain 20m beams that I used for  
temporary contest antennas and never had much luck keeping the element  
tips from shedding. I suppose rope would help but in my opinion there  
are much better taper schedules.  Ø7/16 drawn tubing is a little  
difficult to find, if you could find it with a .058 wall it would be  
an upgrade. Regarding not being able to get the sections apart since  
it has no conductive grease, depending on your environment it may  
easily come apart. I never had trouble taking antennas apart in  
Illinois. I did not start using Penetrox until I built a station in  
Aruba where the corrosion was intense. Now I use it regularly  
everywhere.

John KK9A


CAROL RICHARDS N2MM wrote:

Hello all,

I am re-furbishing part of the driven element for my 155CA. the  
element uses two sections of tubing. The part that goes into the  
insulator to the boom is 84 inches of 7/8 tubing swaged. No bends. The  
tip is also 7/8 inch swaged and has a bend about mid section. My  
question concerns the tip which was bent on its way down from the  
tower. Removing the tip would be quite a problem since no penetrox was  
used when it was installed. Does having a slight bend in the tip  
really affect its performance?

Thoughts?


Carol