[TowerTalk] mystery tool and damaged 40m antennas

[K1TTT]

Well, I had a nice draft reply with all the wrong answers and the right
ones, but outlook ate it on me over night.  So instead of that here is the
short answer...

1. Paint can and bottle opener is correct.  These were given away for years
by various paint stores.  Some called it a 'church key' but I believe that
is more properly applied to a combination flat top can (with no pull top)
and bottle opener, see the wikipedia article referenced by one respondent.

2. On the 40m4lldd the butt end of each element has a 24" 1.375" tube inside
the swaged 5' 1.5" main element tube to add strength.  This combination is
held to a short rod that is held in the boom-element clamp by a 1/4" bolt.
Due to slight flattening of the tubing and distortion of the hole the inner
piece on most of the elements was stuck pretty well inside, and they were
either flush or slightly inside the outer piece.  That tool was perfectly
made to grab the inside of that 1/4" hole in the inner tube and pull it out
just far enough to get it started.  It could also then be inserted through
the hole to finish pulling stubborn ones out.


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