[TowerTalk] Re: Penatrox

[GALE STEWARD]

Well,
I've never seen a properly prepaired Penatrox joint
have any sign of corrosion in over 25 years of yagi
building/re-building.  We had 8 yagis at the W3GM
contest station and never saw a single problem related
to Penatrox.  I'm not buying the notion that it's a
bad thing as practical historical experience shows
otherwise!

73, Stew K3ND



>    When I assemble a beam I always clean the joints
> and immediately apply the 
> grease I'm using.  I do not need to use Zinc to
> penetrate the layer of thin 
> Aluminum Oxide even when I use just Silicone grease.
>  That's what my HP low 
> resistance ohmmeter tells me.  I suggest you clean
> the joint first and you 
> won't need a dissimilar metal to make contact
> through the Aluminum Oxide you 
> have.  Moisture is the 3rd factor in corrosion and
> the grease doesn't 
> completely isolate the Zinc particles.  Electrical
> contact beyond the thin 
> ring of RF contact at the diameter change is not
> needed--skin affect you 
> know.  Only at the diameter change.
>   
> I have explained several times now that after using
> Penatrox for 20 years and 
> observing many failures, I do not under any
> circumstances buy your views the 
> Zinc particles are too small to very cause a
> problem.  I don't recognize it 
> as an effective antioxidant for even more reasons
> than I have previously 
> stated.  
> 
> A W6 told when he checked his beam after several
> years, he had to file the 
> Penatrox off.  He ran big power and I think he
> cooked the joints with 14 MHz 
> RF.
> 
> Mike Ercolino of Telrex some 40 years ago at his
> factory told me "he ran 
> accelerated aging tests on Penatrox of spraying salt
> water and heat tests and 
> was unhappy with it."  I didn't listen and had to
> find out for myself at a 
> slower rate.
> 
> I can quote a lot more but will end with the
> following that just was posted 
> and sums it up completely I would think for anyone
> other than those who are 
> still in the dark.
> 
> In a message dated 16.03.00 17:39:51 Pacific
> Standard Time, dx@northcoast.com 
> writes:<< 
>     Disunirregardless, I have put together probably
> 100 aerials w/Penatrox ..
>  so... whatever.  I have noticed that after 6 or so
> years, the compound gets
>  a little "gummy", but before re-assembling the
> antenna, some solvent on a
>  rag takes care of that, then re-apply the Penatrox.
>  One query I have, is
>  that I have used fine steel wool at times for
> burnishing the elements, and
>  found out that was not a very good idea ... so,
> switched to the coarse steel
>  wool, then use a clean rag to wipe down before
> assembly ... any thoughts on
>  this steel wool thing?  Mark . AA6DX
>  
> Don't use Dissimilar Metals no matter how small they
> are.  The Penatrox case 
> is closed.  Several posts have given great advice on
> how to use Steel Wool or 
> Scotch Brite.
> 
> As I have said several times, "Properly designed
> Quads using cooper wire have 
> only one soldered permanent joint per element that
> never needs maintenance or 
> other yagi Band-Aids."  There are no Web Site
> Reflectors for properly 
> designed Quads.  I'd like to start one to advance
> the Quad State of the Art 
> even more and make them even more effective. Would
> you believe that Aluminum 
> Oxide is getting resistant to all these inhibitors
> and the "Dreaded Aluminum 
> Joint Cancer" is running out of control.  Yagi's are
> failing all over.  Quads 
> are totally immune to this insidious disease. k7gco
> 
> --
> FAQ on WWW:              
> http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
> Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
> Administrative requests: 
> towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
> Problems:                
> owner-towertalk@contesting.com
> Search:                  
> http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
> 
> 

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com

--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search:                   http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm