[Towertalk] Buying nuts and bolts [was "Mosley"]

[krish]

Here is my $0.02.

I did refurbish my TA-33 the last Nov.
This was my first beam and i was quite enthusiastic about the job.
 I only wanted the best :) ( ok i know, i erred on the beam )

As mentioned in the towertalk archives, i did the cleanup.
I wanted all stainless steel hardware. I used http://www.mmsacc-stainless.com
John Martin & Nancy are nice. I screwed up with the dimensions of the
 U bolts and only realized it after it arrived. I sent it back and they
 were nice enough to send me the right size and never charged for shipping.
 I bought all the stainless steel hardware from them since the local hardware
 stores did not carry them. They apparently supply marine and automotive fasteners.

 I needed strong 2" U bolts for the boom to mast. I ordered it from antronics. They
 are great folks too. I ordered a bunch of tower hardware and the transaction was perfect.

 I needed a beefier mast plate. I knew mosley would be a rip off, so i ordered the
 6061 T6 aluminum bar  3/8" thick and 1ft by 4" from
 http://www.airpartsinc.com and it costed me about $7 and
 a small shipping fee. I had to do the drilling. But that was quite easy.

 I had to buy the antenna hardware like insulator blocks etc from mosley and was
 quite expensive. There is a handling fee and a shipping fee. I bought penetrox from
 them and it costed me a fortune and it came in a small sachet akin to the fastfood
 ketchup packet.  I expected at least a very small bottle. Probably the homedepot
 Noalox would have worked.

 Finally i have the  almost new looking beam up only to be upgraded to a Force 12 quite soon.
 Just wanted to see if i would hear any better than the TA-33.
 Also i Like the idea of the additional bands (20/17/15/12/10/6) without the extra weight.
 This never stops and the XYL will always keep complaining that "it was just weeks ago
 you promised that the stuff you bought is the last thing that you needed". !!!

73's
krish
w4/vu2vku



Jim Idelson wrote:

> That Mosley story is truly exasperating. The experience of buying a very small
> quantity of nuts and bolts from ANY manufacturer is often similar. It takes a
> lot of time, the prices seem out-of-whack [Mosley is clearly leading in this
> category], and you often pay more in S/H than the cost of the parts. And, when
> you head over to the local hardware store, the prices are high and your
> selection is limited. Even the big places like Home Depot and Loews have a
> disappointing range of options. Quality is also a problem. When you buy a
> stainless steel part from these guys, you are getting the lowest/cheapest grade
> available.
>
> But, there is hope! You CAN get great service and great hardware at reasonable
> prices! Here are two options:
> 1.  Friends in our own Amateur Radio community are often the best resource. I
> have had great experience with guys like these:
>           Antronics of Oregon - http://www.reprise.com/antronics/antronics.asp
>           Stan Griffiths, W7NI - w7ni@easystreet.com
>           I know there are others, too, and my apologies for not remembering
> them here.
>
> 2.  You might also be able to find a local supplier under the category of
> "Fasteners - Industrial". In the Boston area we have a company called Albeco
> Fastener and Supply Company - http://www.albecofast.com. My experience with
> them is fantastic. You leave their place with a little plastic bag of super
> high quality stainless steel hardware. The experience is best compared to
> visiting the penny candy store. Prices are in the same ballpark. Once, after I
> had completed a transaction for about $12 worth of hardware [two bags!], I
> realized I needed a couple more parts. The guy went out back and grabbed the
> pieces and handed them to me saying, "Don't worry about it". If they had a
> tipping jar at the counter, I would have tossed in a five and still felt like I
> got a bargain!
>
> One additional thing to note. A lot of our antenna manufacturers make custom
> U-bolts and other hardware. What a pain! In the past, if I found a better,
> stronger, standard U-bolt that fit, but required me to drill out the holes a
> bit, I would take that risk. I wouldn't do this on a new antenna, but we're
> usually refurbishing some pretty old stuff, right? This is not what the
> manufacturer would want, of course, but when the manufacturer makes life
> difficult, there may be no other good choice.
>
> 73,
>
> Jim Idelson K1IR
> email    k1ir@designet.com
> web    http://www.designet.com/k1ir
>
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