[TowerTalk] KLM KT34-A info

Sat Sep 20 13:17:07 EDT 2008

Hi Dennis,
              as my M2 upgrade has yet to arive and winter will soon be here
I have put the KT34a on the tower, WOW it works like a dream and excelent
SWR on all bands. It is now sitting beaming West with its back on Europe :-)
How good it is to block out "some" of europe....

Photos are here: http://g0hwc.com/latest_projects.html

with it built photo in my garden and then on the tower.
I do think I will have to get a bigger tower at some time to take it...

The M2 upgrade will have to wait until next summer as it will not get here 
for a few weeks. 

Paul G0HWC
http://www.g0hwc.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dennis Vernacchia 
  To: Paul Young 
  Cc: Towertalk 
  Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 6:24 PM
  Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] KLM KT34-A info

  Paul,

  You will not have to change the BLUE "Donut" insulators just because of the color they are.
  Only change them if they are cracked and if they are loose ( Try to pry one off the end
  of the tubing and see it is securely attached or moves easy - moving easy is bad as they could
  wiggle off in the winds as the elements flex ! If  they are not cracked and secure - no chage necessary
  but if they are not cracked but can move easily causing the inner and outer sections of Aluminum to move
  then you should pry them off the end of that section of tubing and use a coating  of RTV type sealant to 
  affix them back onto the end of the tubing. Be sure the RTV ( or Silicone Rubber Sealant as I sometimes call the RTV,
  is rated to be out in direct sunlight and also that the sealant is rated to be used on aluminum as some RTVs
  are for indoor use and non metalic material. I think General Electric Silastic II is one of the appropriate ones
  and is sold at most major hardware stores in U.S. but not sure of UK market.

  I am not sure in the sequence of KLM changing the OTHER colors of the insulators
  but the other colors were

  Black

  White

  Orange

  Green

  All I have been informed

  I think BLUE was on e of the later colors used and I recall that with the Green amd some of the Black ones
  different settings had to be made tro the antenna

  Best just get it togther and seal Donuts if necessary and get it about  5  to 7 mtrs in tha air at minimum just toi
  see if it loads up OK

  Then if the SWR is not off on certain bands, adjust the element settings as described in manual for better SWR

  One problem you may run into is that one of the colors and I don't recall which, requird new sections
  of the smaller diameter long pieces of tubing, to be replaced and if the antenna has any buildup of corroision,
  getting those sections replaced required cleaning the old ones beofre the various differnt colored Donut insulatios
  had to be slid off and removed ( NOT A FUN and very Time consuming Job )

  I hope all this makes ssome sense to you and if not send me your telephone number anda best time to call you ( UTC ) and 
  we can dicuss by phone .

  73, Dennis N6KI
  San Diego 

  On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 5:17 AM, Paul Young <paul at g0hwc.com> wrote:

    Hi Dennis,
                  i just got my KT34 and the insulators are blue ?
    Will i still need to replace them ? they look OK
    Will this give the date of the antenna ?

    Paul G0HWC
    http://www.g0hwc.com

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Dennis Vernacchia 
      To: Paul Young 
      Cc: TowerTalk at contesting.com 
      Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:47 PM
      Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] KLM KT34-A info

      Paul,

      There were different settings for element pieces due to changes in the small ,
      what I call, Half Donut insulators.  These hold together and insulate the capacitive
      tubing sections of the elements. They look like a donut that has been hollowed out and cut in half

      The little "half donut"  ( about 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch diameter ) insulators 
      came in the following colors as the later models of KT-34 progressed

      Black

      White

      Orange 

      Green

      and I think in that order with black being the early model KT-34 antennas

      I recall that KLM manufactured a BAD set of BLACK insulators at one point and they used
      something in the plastic for coloring the insulators black that turned out either
      to be somewhat conductive ( not a good thing ) or had a dielectric constant that caused
      hams to have lots of trouble tuning the antenna !!!! Hopefully if the antenna  was in use one time and 
      resonated properly you won't have this issue.

      I think the original instruction sheets were for the black insulators and the 2nd set
      ( and I sure hope there weren't a set 3 or 4 of instructions ) handle the White, Orange and Green Insulators.

      So I hope this info will help you on what instruction sheet to use
      or when you get the antenna, see which instruction sheet natches the current construction and go with
      that set of instructions for a starter.

      I also suggest you check and see if any of these half donut insulators worked loose
      and highly suggest using a non conductive, non UV RTV type of sealant to hold
      insulators in place. If they can pry off of the tubing section they are on, they will eventually 
      work loose in the wind causing a short in element sections so if you can easily pry them loose, apply
      the sealant where the insulator pushes on the end of aluminum tubing sections to be sure they never work loose in the air
      ( Again, be very careful what sealant you use, maybe K7LXC who comments often on this reflector can guide you on what
      Dow Corning or GE sealant to use )

      My $ 0.02 cents

      73, Dennis N6KI

      I recall that one of these colrs

      On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 12:22 PM, Paul Young <paul at g0hwc.com> wrote:

        Hi all,
               I have managed to buy a KLM KT34-A 4 element beam.
        I have paid for it but have yet to collect it from up north.
        I managed to find a site with the manual but 2 are listed
        one is listed as (1980) and one is (1983)
        http://www.hamanuals.com/miscmans.html from here if anyone needs them
        I have downloaded both but from my quick look at them, they look the same?
        When I collect the beam, how do I tell what one I have got?

        I have been told it had only 6 months use from new and has been in storage ever since.
        all the elements have been kept fully built and just need to be fitted back on the boom.
        Any hints or trips or known problems?

        Looking forward to putting up my new toy :-)

        Paul G0HWC

        Check out my website  www.g0hwc.com     *Echolink node MB7ICL-L  "381900"*
        _______________________________________________

        _______________________________________________
        TowerTalk mailing list
        TowerTalk at contesting.com
        http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com 
Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.6.6/1625 - Release Date: 21/08/2008 06:04

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com 
  Version: 8.0.169 / Virus Database: 270.6.16/1652 - Release Date: 04/09/2008 18:54