[TowerTalk] Yagis and Rivets

[Pete Smith]

At 04:58 AM 3/16/2000 -0800, Dave Pomeroy wrote:
>
>I am sure aircraft grade riviting might have a higher
>quality level than we do in the back yard.  There are
>some aircraft grade aluminum pop rivits.  Don't know
>much about them but I know they exist.

With respect, the aircraft precedent is a red herring, because the needs of
our application are much more modest.  I know, I know -- I brought it up,
but my point was a different one -- that the alloys used in aircraft and
antennas are pretty strong stuff, and the analogy to aluminum electrical
wiring is therefore suspect.

I'm sure it's perfectly possible to use the wrong blind rivet in a ham
application and have it not pull up tightly.  It's also perfectly true that
a telescoping fit will have a few thousandths clearance between the tubes,
but with a metal-bearing anti-oxidant material like Noalox in the joint I
don't think that matters. After all, with a single line of rivets on one
side, there will be a relatively large surface area squeezed tightly
against the next tube, with conduction assured between them, even if the
other side of the joint was open (which I doubt). 

73,  Pete N4ZR

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