[TowerTalk] Source For Alum. Tubing?

[K7GCO@aol.com]

In a message dated 19.02.00 22:29:14 Pacific Standard Time, K7GCO writes:
<< In a message dated 18.02.00 08:37:31 Pacific Standard Time, 
n9en@hotmail.com writes:
 << Does anyone know where I can buy a very small quantity of aluminum
  tubing?  I'd like to buy a 4' or a 6' piece of 3/4" OD x .058" wall
  6061-T6 or 6063-T832 tubing.
  
  Texas Towers has the mat'l at a good price, but they have a $25 min.
  order; Metal & Cable Corp. will sell me a 12' length for $26.10 -
  over twice the price of Texas Towers. >>

N9EN: If I were at where my aluminum is I'd send you some--FREE.  I'll look 
around here as I've felt your pain in the 40's.  Although I have a lot of 
aluminum, this is another reason I'm switching to Quads.  I've been hit with 
$250 minimums for aluminum and even then that was at a rate still 10 times 
higher/lb than it should have been.  You are being "Ripped-Off by Reynolds" 
and the other suppliers.  Then they rub it in even more paying only 20 
cents/lb for aluminum scrap.  It costs me more to save it than I get for it.  
You have to buy tons of it to get a good price like the antenna mfgs.do.  Let 
me tell you flat out.  Any antenna you buy is at a good price.  I wasted a 
fortune--trying to save money--although I ended up with exactly the antenna I 
wanted.  I sure could have used Eznec years ago.
  
 Finished antennas have to be shipped in about 6' lengths so that a yagi is 
full of joints and then you play the "grease game" which often fails.  I use 
12' lengths when ever I can.  I even use continuous 3/4" diameter thin wall 
tubing beefed up in the middle inside for 10&12 M--No joints and "ZERO 
Electrical Maintenance".  That isn't known to most Yagi owners.  I use a 
"ZERO Maintenance" Flee Market Solder for aluminum joints in longer yagi's.

I've gone to great lengths to save aluminum using special cleaning 
techniques.  I was offered a 40 year old 20M beam that had 1 5/8"center 12' 
sections and 1 1/2" ends. That aluminum would have cost me about $1000 to buy 
at the Rip Off Reynolds price.  The joints were frozen solid and with 
aluminum oxide.  I used a special technique to get them apart.  I was not 
aware of the "heat wrench" at the time.  There was no DC connection--it was 
totally capacitive.  The "Critical Ring of DC Lo-R Connection" at the 
joint--had not existed for some time.  Due to the skin affect of RF 
Conduction, that's where the jump is made.  The Aluminum Oxide on the inside 
tubing was .015" larger in diameter.  That was a real compression joint.  I 
saved all 9 pieces.
  
In contrast the quad uses "just 1" twisted wire soldered joint/element 
(silver solder not needed) for "0" Ohms and "ZERO Electrical Maintenance".  
If you don't buy from the "tight budget Mfgs," it will stay up--and save a 
lot of money over the life of the quad.  You will dominate the frequency 
also.  I hear Antenna Mart has some "Yagi Tranquilizers."  That's for yagi 
owners who are constantly being beat up on the band by quad owners.  It's 
even embarrassing to admit how long it took me to finally see the light.  I 
didn't have too many yagi problems I guess like those that constantly occur 
on TT.
 
Further more 6' lengths of telescoping fiber glass poles are ideal for it's 
structural duty and wire comes in any lengths not affected by UPS shipping 
restrictions.  Tapered 2 element multiband quads don't even have a boom.  I 
used to buy it and aluminum tubing at Boeing Surplus for $1/pd.  I have not 
heard of high $ minimums for say 8 poles.  No one can equal the gall of the 
Aluminum Co's.  When you call them with a quad--they stay called year after 
year (with regular solder)---and no grease.  You never wonder if there is 
something better.  I have a lathe, mill, plenty of aluminum that I'm selling 
off except for mast and long booms.  I can put up anything I want.  I will be 
testing and using the Rai-Beam as it's 2 steps forward in yagi design and 
performance.  
 
 If I went on a DX Expedition, I'd take a 2 element quad and a RaiBeam--for a 
head to
 head show down.  I've not heard of anyone taking a quad.  Try it.  K7GCO  


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