[CQ-Contest] 1/4 6061 tubing

[Drew Vonada-Smith]

All,

Tim was of course right and I was wrong - DXE did NOT sell 1/4 inch OD Al tubing previously.  I apparently got mine somewhere else and forgot about it.  I was surprised since they use it internally there in a few places.  Many kudos and thanks to Tim for offering to look into this and have DXE provide it.  And for not telling me I was an idiot...lol.

Re other's comments:

1) Yes, there are plenty of other sources.  If you price them with antenna quantities in mind, you'll find that none are affordable.  At present, DXE is the lone wolf out there not robbing us blind for tubing.  It's expensive stuff even at fair pricing.

2) Yes alloy chemistry matters, but 6061 and 6063 designations (and the heat treatment 6061/3-xxx designations) are ubiquitous and tell the tale adequately.

3) Yes, 1/4 in is small, but there are many valid applications for it.  Tips of small yagis, verticals, RX arrays.  It's used plenty in commercial products.

Again, thanks Tim.  I was hoping you'd read it here.

73, Drew K3PA

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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 16:09:33 +0000
From: Drew Vonada-Smith <drew at whisperingwoods.org>
To: "cq-contest at contesting.com" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Subject: [CQ-Contest] 1/4 inch tubing
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Contesters,

Has anyone else noticed that DXE no longer lists 0.25 in tubing on its site?  Obviously, they need that size to build/maintain almost any Yagi or vertical they sell or make.  I called and they assured me they don't carry it anymore, despite it being part of many things they still sell.  Including elements for the RX circle array I am getting ready to build using their preamps.  I have yet to find an alternate source at less than 3x the price.   This has got to be a mistake right?

73, Drew K3PA




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