[TowerTalk] Pop Rivets

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/10/2008 11:19:20 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
towertalk-request at contesting.com writes:

>  I am doing some antenna work and seemed to remember a  discussion about the
1/8" pop rivets that Force 12 uses in their antennas.  Is the some special
type of pop rivets or are they the ones that you can  get over at Home
Depot/Lowes?


    Umm, I remember something about the discussion -  try the archives at 
_www.contesting.com_ (http://www.contesting.com)   - but don't remember the 
specifics. Something to do with the mandrel. 
 
    I think that rivets that hold airplanes together  are different 
(stronger?) but I doubt that using typical hardware store rivets  on a ham antenna is 
going to cause any problems. 

>   Incidentally, I remember a lot of talk about the pop rivets "wallowing  
out"
and getting loose. The C3E I took down has been at 125 feet for about  5
years and there is no evidence of that at all even though we do have  our
share of wind here about 75 miles from the Texas  coast.



        Yes, it's a common Texas  story and it sounds like you've been lucky. 
You can do a better job than the  factory by adding a second row of rivets 
opposite the factory ones or even add a  third row (every 120 degrees like guy 
wires) and then the aluminum should fall  apart before the joints do. 
 
        Texas hams use to call KLM  antennas Konstantly Losing Metal. 
 
Cheers,
Steve      K7LXC
TOWER TECH 



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