[TowerTalk] Garolite

[john at kk9a.com]

I believe that K4JA used 1" thick Garolite LE on his 4 el 40m beams.

John KK9A

To: towertalk
From: Stan Stockton
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 16:06:34 -0500

I am working on a 40M antenna project and want to split the driven element
for
sure and perhaps insulate all the elements from the boom.

I noticed that W3LPL and others are using Garolite LE.  According to the
specs
I read it has a tensile strength of 14,100 PSI lengthwise and  10,400 PSI
crosswise.  He mentioned several years ago that he did not use the Garolite
for
40M elements because it was not strong enough.

Looking at McMaster Carr Garolite Grade 11 is 58,600 PSI lengthwise and
41,900
PSI crosswise - about 4 times stronger than LE..  It is about twice the
price.
GP03 Electrical Grade Fiberglass is about half the price of Garolite LE and
seems to be about the same strength.

If anyone has experience or knows the difference in all these materials and
whether there are significant differences in how well they hold up in the
environment, I would appreciate knowing.

The other question is whether to insulate all elements or only the driven
element.  Anyone know the pros and cons?

Thanks...Stan