[TowerTalk] A "good deal"

[K7GCO@aol.com]

  In regard to W7LXC's recommendation of using Sliver Solder on a quads 
twisted wire joints rather than regular solder and to not using Flee Market 
Aluminum Solder on yagi tubing joints as I have SUCCESSFULLY DONE A 5 YEAR 
LONGEVITY TEST ON and all the other comments--I have these comments.
   I think Silver Solder (SS) is great if you can find a low temperature one. 
The reference Silver Bearing Solder I got from Radio Shack came without any 
flux.  It don't stick. Unless there is a flux for it, forget it.  Does anyone 
know a better one?  However for a twisted wire quad joint, I have yet to see 
a twist wire joint under great stress soldered with normal solder ever fail 
in 64 years. I see no need for SS on a quad zero resistance joint--the only 
one each quad element has.  As a result Quads have ZERO ELECTRICAL 
DETERIORATION OF PERFORMANCE WITH ENAMELED OR COVERED WIRE. Yagi's can't say 
that. Yagi construction needs lots of joints that can turn into resistors and 
capacitors sooner or later--almost regardless what you use.  
    The best stuff I know about is called Anti-Seize with Aluminum in it and 
it's gray.  This has been very well tested.  Rai-Beam supplies it with their 
beams and it's costly.  Longevity was built into this yagi throughout.  The 
Rai-Beam 2 element yagi and a properly designed 2 element quad are what I 
call the "K7GCO New Standard of Beam Performance". To equal or beat them, you 
have to go to a boom 2-3 times longer and 2-3 more elements to justify the 
cost which starts to rise exponentially.  The dB or 2 you might get will cost 
you about $1-5000 or more depending on the band. The higher the gain the 
higher it must be mounted to fully realize it's full performance.
    I carefully pointed out that I solved this multiple joint problem with a 
Flea Market Solder needing only a Berns-MaticTorch.  It has survived 5 years 
and it still looks great and tests "ZERO" resistance.  What more can one ask? 
 
    In regard to manufacturers not recommending this, that would admit there 
is a problem that they don't want you to know about or don't know themselves 
how bad it can get. Take you pick.  Even if the outside tubing is .058" wall 
(or less), I oblong the inside tubing end or wrap tape around it to reduce or 
eliminate any movement that would stress the solder joint or even a clamp 
joint.  I explained how I soldered it and it's passed the test of 5 years.  
    There were comments of using regular solders to aluminum joints that 
don't stick.  I soldered with a Berns-Matic Torch and Aluminum Solder that so 
far as I know didn't weaken the tubing.  I added a short length of a 
mechanically secured small piece of thin tubing inside the joint near the end 
of the element inside just to be on the safe side in case of a lowered 
temper.  If there is evidence it works and solves a major problem--don't 
knock it unless you can prove it wrong.  I never ever recommend anything that 
I would bet money on and have not lost a bet.  
    I didn't add any rivets as I wanted to test its longevity without them.  
That's not a bad idea to secure the element while soldering.  If pop rivets 
are used, be sure to use the ones with an aluminum nail in them. Rivets are 
just another thing quad users don't have to worry about along with stripped 
self taping screws and the Alumitoid Yagititis powder that forms around them.
    There was one yagi 3 element design that had some 50 joints in it in an 
Antenna Software sample program.  It probably took a week to put it in there. 
 Few individuals would have all this different diameter tubing--I do. This 
design required 50 SS clamps at considerable expense.  For each SS Clamp 
there are 2 RF connections--one on each side.  There are 150 press fit 
connections with 100 of being dissimilar metals.  A quad only has the 
feedline connections that should be coated.  Unless the clamp and tubing is 
coated there will be pits under it in time.  I have great pictures of such a 
problem.  I plan to get them scanned for a web site.  This design is the ALL 
TIME 5 WORST DUMMITY DESIGNS I HAVE EVER SEEN.     
    Reflectors like this serve a useful purpose for tower and antenna 
problems.  I've seen many clever fixes and I read them all.  When antenna 
systems have nothing but problems with no end in sight, it's time to look at 
other systems with known and proven performance and longevity concepts. They 
don't require a Reflector for nonexistent problems.  All this joint compound 
coverage is of no interest to quad owners.  We laugh at it and all the other 
performance compromise problems with big HO HO HO's.   
    I've repeated the original solder suggestions below with an updated 
version to make sure everyone understands what was said and.why it solves a 
long time problem of every yagi.  So far no useful corrections or suggestions 
have been made and I welcome them all the time. 
<< 
  True 'dat.  Washington, DC HD's have unadvertised, unmarked specials of
  NOALOX: normally $7.50, priced down to $5.15 for 8 oz. bottle w/applicator.
  73 de Gene Smar  AD3F
 In a message dated 27.01.00 00:46:23 Pacific Standard Time, K7GCO@aol.com 
writes:  >>
    One big advantage of a properly designed quad is each wire joint is 
 soldered giving Zero Resistance and it doesn't change.  Instead of using 
 NOALOX or PENATROX on aluminum joints, I hear they work better on stiff knee 
joints.  This "Rheumatoid Arthritis" of the yagi joints is a serious plague 
affecting all 
 aluminum joints--sooner or later.  I call it "Alumitoid Yagititus."  
    I've checked many yagi joints over the years with an ohm and capacitive 
 meter and some become Capacitive Reactive.  Fortunately for yagi's, 
 capacitive reactance does conduct RF but not without a length change.  
Toward the end of an element bad joints tend to short out capacitively but 
not in the high current area in the center.  A capacitive joint would stop 
DC. How deep the RF goes inside a tight capacitive joint I don't know due to 
the limitations of the skin affect and the tight fit. It can throw off the 
critical F/B tuning of a yagi which is easy to observe on the yagi sooner or 
later. That loss of F/B is what first put me on the very trial of the dreaded 
"Alumitoid Yagititis" some 50 years ago.  
   Other factors of performance are not as easy to measure.  It doesn't 
always change the SWR either I've found.  Someone on TT said "certain DXer's 
are taking their beams down and cleaning them before a contest."  I started 
recommending doing that over 50 years ago verbally and in print after what I 
found--yes even with Penatrox.  Some of the DXer's I told did it and thanked 
me for it many times after. One competitive DXer suggested "I not tell 
others"!!  One high power W6 found Penatrox got hard in the joints and had to 
file it off.  So the question arises.  Does RF flow in the joint despite the 
well know skin affect?  Why did this Penatrox get hard?  Did high power "cook 
it?"  I tend to think there is a thin circular ring of conduction at the 
diameter change.  Only there is a low RF resistance joint needed unless the 
field can jump a bad connection.  
   One 40 year old aluminum joint I took apart-with special leverages and 
techniques-the Alumitoid Yagititus coating was .015" larger than tubing 
diameter.  The was a "compression fit." I finally cured the problem with a 
Flea Market Aluminum Solder on telescoping joints.  I cleaned the tubing 
inside and out even with soap and water.  I rotated 3/4" tubing in a lathe 
slowly heating it and the 5/8" telescoping length with a Bernsamatic Torch.  
It can be rotated in 2 V's by an assistant.  At the right time or heat, it 
flowed like regular solder.  I don't know if any flowed inside the joint.  
Larger tubing will require 2 torches.  Result: INSTANT AND PERMANENT ZERO OHM 
JOINTS that has lasted for 5 years.  It's probably the first time this ever 
happened.  I mechanically secured a short length of 1/2" tubing for 6" past 
the joint inside the 2' 5/8" end tubing as I wasn't sure what heating the 
tubing would do to it's temper.  I'm going to run a test on this. These are 
the only yagi elements I have Zero Maintenance on except for the continuous 
diameter elements I use on 10 and 12M.  Aluminum welders should work 
also--very quickly. 
   Part of this multiple joint resistance problem (every stainless steel 
 clamp adds even 2 more joints) is created by the length restrictions of 
shipping 
 tubing in the mail (and airplane luggage for DX Expeditions).  If I went on 
a 
 DX Expedition I'd take quads as it's a better DX Antenna.  It works very 
well close to the ground also.  Quad wire comes in long hanks, is cut to the 
exact length and then it's PERMANENTLY SOLDERED.  When aluminum elements are 
damaged replacement aluminum is very very expensive.  If quad wires are 
damaged, it's replacement is very inexpensive. Telescoping fiberglass tubing 
creates no performance problem as it does with yagi's.  It's tapered nature 
is ideal as it is with yagi elements. 
     There are still Quad manufacturers that cuts costs with minimum 
 mechanical and electrical designs to appeal to the tight budget buyers. Ham 
 Radio is living off the Retiree's and SS now and it's limited budget.  They 
 also rely on the inability of their customers not to recognize the products 
 performance deficiencies.  The root of the exposure problem is few have 2 
towers 
 the same height for a comparison with a 2 element quad initially and long 
term.  It's   
 easy to compare 2 rigs in the shack with a coax switch. They have given the 
 quad a bad name it doesn't deserve.  It even took me a long time to finally 
see 
 the "Quad Light" with all the bad mouthing of quads going on created by bad 
 designs. 
    There is a Special Oven in Hell for these manufacturers along with the 
 buyers.  Would you believe they still buy from each other down there.  Their 
 Inter-Hell-Net Communication is on LSB Heat Waves. Solder joints go bad down 
 there all the time--like aluminum joints.
     Gentlemen: It's time to review the facts of beam antenna performance.  
 Only with soldered aluminum and wire joints, there is no electrical 
 deterioration of a beams performance (except with the Gray Anti-Seize with 
Aluminum in it and equivalents--it's still a press joint).  I have yet to 
read one bad report in TT or anywhere of electrical deterioration of quads 
performance and or of 
 numerous mechanical problems of telephone poles which I have also 
 recommended.  TT covers enough problems of metal towers and other antennas 
 that strongly suggests "better methods of enjoying Ham Radio should be 
 considered."  Retiree's I know can't do the constant maintenance needed with 
 metal towers and yagi's after 10-15 years nor can they afford hiring it 
done.  Longevity of design has been missing from many antennas.  Ask yourself 
"if a problem developed in the yagi--how many months would it take before it 
could be fixed and how much would it cost?".  Weather permitting I can do it 
right away even at night.  I have flood lights and head mounted flashlights.
 K7GCO    
  >>

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