[TowerTalk] [YCCC] mystery tool and damaged 40m antennas

[Jerry Muller]

You're kidding of course.

The tool is a paint can opener and bottle opener combination. I used to work 
(a VERY long time ago) at a Sherwin-Williams store and we gave them away.

73, Jerry - K0TV

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "K1TTT" <K1TTT at ARRL.NET>
To: "reflector -tower" <towertalk at contesting.com>; "reflector cq-contest" 
<CQ-Contest at Contesting.COM>; "YCCC" <yccc at yccc.org>; "Rlx" 
<RLX at yahoogroups.com>; "Nobarc" <nobarc at nobarc.org>
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 9:37 AM
Subject: [YCCC] mystery tool and damaged 40m antennas


> Take a look at the picture of the tool next to a pencil for size 
> comparison:
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_40m4lldd_repair_1.jpg
>
> This tool was uniquely suited for one particular job while disassembling 
> an
> ice and wind damaged 40m4lldd yagi.  Out of all the tools in all my 
> various
> tool boxes this one stood out for this one specific task.
>
> Can you identify:
> 1. What it's original purpose(s) were?
> 2. What it would be used for in a 40m yagi disassembly?
>
>
> Pictures of the 40m damage in progress are below... We had 3 ice storms in 
> 2
> weeks, 2 of them were followed immediately by strong winds.  Besides 
> damage
> to both 40m4lldd's there were several bent elements on 20m4dx yagis that 
> had
> survived several years with 'normal' ice and wind.  Something interesting 
> to
> note is that the loading rods on the 40m4lldd's did not provide any
> mechanical strength to the elements even though they look like they would
> act as trusses.  The elements all bent on the same side of the antennas
> because the wind hit them from the side while the element was already bent
> down under the ice load.  The same mechanism damaged all 4 elements of the
> top fixed European 20m yagi that was sideways to the wind, while the
> rotatable one above it only had 1 slightly bent element since it was
> pointing into the NW wind at the time.  The loading rods broke all on the
> same side because the wind shifted while the elements were bent so one 
> side
> of the loading section was stretched against the side of the element.
>
> Tower is 180' of Rohn-55 with the 40m4lldd's on ring rotors at 70' and 
> 170'.
>
> 2/2 Top 40m with ice and wind
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_02_40m_ice_1.jpg
>
> 2/2 Top 40m with ice, note how on the left side all 4 elements are bent at
> the sme place and the loading rods are below the element tubing.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_02_40m_ice_2.jpg
>
> 2/2 Top 40m with ice element closeup
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_02_40m_ice_3.jpg
>
> 2/2 Bottom 40m with ice
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_02_40m_ice_5.jpg
>
> 2/7 Top 40m with ice and wind, round 2 of the storms you can see the 1st
> loading rod broke on the right element.  Eventually all 4 elements ended 
> up
> with 1 broken rod, all on the same side.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_07_40m_ice_11.jpg
>
> 2/7 Top 40m with ice and wind, slightly crooked elements.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_07_40m_ice_13.jpg
>
> 2/7 Top 40m broken loading rod closeup
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_feb_07_40m_ice_8.jpg
>
> Removal of the damaged antennas was done by XX-Towers on 3/7:
> Rigging bottom 40m, tram line is cable coming down to left.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_2.jpg
>
> Bottom one coming down
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_4.jpg
>
> Bottom one wide view
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_5.jpg
>
> Closeup of broke loading rod end, its really not pulled out, the shorting
> bar held and the rod broke.  The ss saddle and eye arrangement on the 
> philly
> cable is my modification to prevent the philly from being cut on the side 
> of
> the small holes it used to go through on the shorting block.  M2 has
> modified the design with a strain relief to prevent that on new ones.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_6.jpg
>
> Rigging the top 40m, tram line is hard to see but comes down between guy
> wires toward bottom.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_7.jpg
>
> Rigging top, wide view.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_8.jpg
>
> Liftoff of top one.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_10.jpg
>
> Top one starting down
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_12.jpg
>
> Interesting rigging, use ring rotor supports and boom brace to spread load
> to 4 points on boom.
> http://www.k1ttt.net/images/2008_mar_07_kc1xx_13.jpg
>
> Insurance has already paid off and I am awaiting delivery of a new 125mph
> 40m4lldd for the top.  For the bottom one I salvaged parts from the top 
> one
> to make it whole and have purchased aluminum to beef it up similar to how
> the 125mph elements are done.  I also am waiting delivery of a 20m4dx to 
> be
> used for parts to replace bent element sections on those antennas.
>
> Of course I am writing this today because we are now getting snow/freezing
> rain/rain/whatever out there and I figured I can wait a while to continue
> repairs.
>
> David Robbins K1TTT
> e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
> web: http://www.k1ttt.net
> AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net
>
>
>
>
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