[Towertalk] Antenna aluminum for Vhf/Uhf

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OM,

Locate your nearby non-ferrous salvage yard!

You may be astounded at what you can find.  This past week, I got 169' of
insulated

new #2 for $15.......WOW!  

Anyway, there is a certain protocol involved before you will be permitted
to wander

about the sharp, pointy things.....digging for treasure.

1:	Figure out a way to put money into the owner's pocket.  At least $25

	each time he sees you.

2:	Bring aluminum cans to sell.  (putting even more money in his pocket)

3:	Rules of Behaviour in the Salvage Yard:
	
	If you move it, put it back.
	
	Wear the nastiest clothes you have.  Oil stains, unrepaired rips and
grease

		smears are considered badges of honour.

	Wear a beat-up pair of heavy boots, never running shoes or street shoes.

	Take HEAVY leather gloves.  The stuff is seriously sharp.  By taking
gloves

		that look like you mean business, you will appear to know what you are

		doing.

	Try to go during the week, during normal business hours.  
	
		This will make you less of a "hobby person" suspect.

            Do not mention that you are a hobby person of any kind.  

		The proper response is to say you need some stock for the shop.  

		Some salvage dealers H A T E	hobby people.

	Leave your fancy-schmancy Saab 9000 turbo-convertible or Benz at home.

		Rather, show up in a beat-to-hell pickup or '87 Buick 4-door with 234K

		on the clock.  There are shards of metal in the ground so leave your

		"good" car at home.  Folks in the salvage business equate fancy cars

		with trouble.  (often in the form of some low-life legal entity) 

	NEVER call the place a "junk" yard.  The polite term is "salvage" or 

		"recycling" yard.

	Do not condescend to the folks in the yard.  This business is
cut-throat,

		tough, dangerous, dirty and these folks work very hard for a buck.

	If you are admitted to the yard, keep your wits about you.  If a
forklift is

		moving nearby, stay put unless it looks like it is headed your way.

		The operator is concentrating on not having the load shift, not 

		dodging you.

	Most often, you will take the materials you wish and place them in a
pile

		near (but never on) the scale.  (This is a ritual thing, it is the yard

		operator's job to see what you have and place it on the scale.  This

		helps to prevent "misunderstandings" wherein several pounds of

		copper wire are obscured by a covering of aluminum sheet, for

		example.)			

Each type of metal will be weighed separately.  The operator will
typically present

you with a card listing what weight of which metal is being weighed and
the 

cost per pound.  Check the card for accuracy and if it is OK, you will
likely be

directed to the "office."  It is not the "junkyard dog" that you have to
worry about...

it is the "junkyard cat."  Typically, they are some mutant, genetic
experiment gone

wrong variant of the Maine Coon Cat and go about 35 pounds.  If it walks
towards

you, a few chucks under the chin will assure tolerance.  Anything
resembling hissing

or an arched back may indicate a visit to the emergency room and lots of
stitches.

Proceed with caution!  HI!

Payment is in cash.  No checks, no debit or credit cards........cash.

You are responsible for loading.

I've found that a visit every 3 weeks is sufficient to keep up with the
latest good

stuff.

In addition to aluminum tubing, you may find "structural" shapes such as
box 

sections, c-stock, angle  stock and weird extrusions.  Copper wire is so
cheap as

to make your eyes water.  If you have a need for, say a few hundred feet 
of #4,

look up the charts and find out what it weighs.  Salvage yards operate on
weight

and do not care how long something is.  Anyway, you may tell the operator
that 

you are looking for 20 pounds of #4........uncut.  When copper wire comes
in, it is

removed from the insulation by a fierce rotary slitting machine and
chopped into

lengths about 6-8" long.  Copper pipe is also cut into about 10" lengths
and may

be smashed flat as well.

Note that even a "non-ferrous" salvage yard will have steel and iron. 
And, some

may have electronic "things" as well.  

Peace Be With Thee,

Tim  K3HX


On Thu, 3 Oct 2002 20:43:30 -0400 k0sd@juno.com writes:
> Hello towertalkians,
>    I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, or if someone can 
> point
> me to a better reflector.   I build most of my own VHF/UHF antennas, 
> but
> have run out of aluminum rod, and am trying to find a source for 
> more,
> preferable local.   I'm looking for 3/16 to 1/4 inch aluminum rod,
> preferable in 5 ft or longer lengths.   I've tried the local Lowe's
> store, they have aluminum angle, and galvanized rod, but no aluminum 
> rod.
>   Wonder if anyone on here knows of a good probable local source for
> something like this.   I'd prefer not to have to mail order, 
> although I'd
> do it as a last resort.   The shorter lengths on 2/222/432 don't 
> require
> the hardened aluminum, I've used whatever I could find.
>    Thank you for any help.
> 
> 73's de Stephen, K0SD in NC
> _______________________________________________
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