[TowerTalk] No Tool Fast Assembly HF Beam

[Roger (K8RI)]

On 7/8/2010 3:16 AM, Martin Sole wrote:
> I've thought about this one before and came up with the idea of using worm
> drive hose clamps. Where you have a split in the end of the larger tube and
> then using a compression worm drive hose clamp should work okay, many beams
> come with them. The problem is the need for a screw driver or socket that
> fits the hexagon head of the worm drive clamp but I have seen clamps, and I
> think you could fabricate this,
Standard nut drivers work just fine on those, but you need to remember 
to mark the elements in a manner so they do not require measurement at 
assembly time.  That's what I like about the "tent stake" approach 
although it'd be much more complicated to implement, it would be the 
simplest to use.

> where instead of a slotted head there was a
> large flat wing like appendage such that sufficient torque could be applied
> by finger and thumb alone to ensure a reasonable if not overly tight fix.
>    
The SS hose clamps are available with this type of tightening head on 
the screw, but you often need a good pair of leather gloves or pliers to 
tighten them.
> Mark the tubes at the appropriate points and then at assembly just slide
> together until the marks line up and finger tighten the modified worm drive
> hose clamp. A similar arrangement could be done at the boom if the antenna
> is appropriately modified.
The old Cushcraft ATB-34 used a center insulator that the halves of the 
driven element just stuck into and were held in place by tightening two 
1/4-20 SS Round head screws with nuts on them to grip the feed line 
connectors. Re the photo in the thread (what kind of antenna is this)
> Fix the boom to element clamps permanently to the
> boom and use wing nuts on the element clamps or fix a short stub at the
> element mount and then having cut the centre tube use the same process as
> for the rest of the elements. Not losing the clamps might be the biggest
> problem so you may need spares or find some way to tie them to the elements.
>
>    
Like a computer program the easier you make it to use the more difficult 
it is to implement. <:-)) OTOH I think the above will work fine.

73

Roger (K8RI)
> Cheers
> Martin, HS0ZED
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Roger (K8RI)
> Sent: 08 July 2010 13:45
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] No Tool Fast Assembly HF Beam
>
> On 7/7/2010 10:26 PM, gdaught6 at stanford.edu wrote:
>    
>> Joe wrote...
>>
>>
>>      
>>> Has anyone equipped the elements of a beam with some neat quick
>>> assembly scheme?  I was thinking of the buttons often found in
>>> telescopic tent poles, or the quick and easy clamps that keep the
>>> legs of my camera tripod extended.
>>>
>>>        
> I'm assuming this would be a temporary "quick to set up and tear down"
> temporary set up like FD, or a camping trip.
>
> I would think the above would be a good idea.  A round headed pin or ball
> with a retainer and spring loaded. IOW just like the telescopic tent poles.
>    
>> Force-12 recommends putting a pop-rivet in, but NOT popping it.  Just
>> put it in and hold it in place with a turn of black electrical tape.
>> When it comes time to disassemble it, it goes really quickly!
>>
>> The element to boom connection depends on what your antenna is.  I'm
>> guessing that a set of minimally tightened U-bolts would be most common.
>>
>>      
> Which is what the Force 12 C-19 uses.
> 73
>
> Roger (K8RI)
>    
>> 73,
>>
>> George T Daughters, K6GT
>> CU in the California QSO Party (CQP)
>> October 2-3, 2010
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> TowerTalk mailing list
>> TowerTalk at contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>>      
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>