[TowerTalk] securing loose element ends

[Kevin Normoyle]

>> Hi TT'ers,
>> I was putting together my Hygain Ex 14 today and found something I
>> hadn't expected. When tightening up the hose clamps to secure the
>> ends of the elements (7/16") that regardless of how hard I cranked
>> the clamps, the tips were still loose enough that they could easily
>> be pulled out-maybe 10# of pressure!

I like rivets. But I think there's a different issue here. Rivets are nice for telescoping straight tubes that fit 
nicely within each other. And

in fact I just ordered a bunch of Avex rivets from Aircraft Spruce, because I was getting too many mandrels breaking off 
on some Pop Rivet brand rivets. I read good things about the Avex rivets, but haven't used them yet. Interestingly they 
have a wider grip range than the Pop Rivet ones I was using. What rivets do other people use? I also switched to a 
different rivet tool.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/avexblindriv.php

But the problem with Hygain, is the joints are swaged. And the swage is not that precise, so you don't get good contact 
on hte inner surfaces.


Plus: as I noted here before, the clamps Hygain ships are no good.  They are cheapest of the cheap and will strip easily.
I will bet two cents there is no recognizable manufacturer name on the clamps. (look)

So: you want better clamps, so you can get more torque without stripping. And you might want to double clamp just 
because the swaging is bad.

Maybe someone can comment about whether they've riveted the slit Hygain swaged ends. I would think it wouldn't work as 
well as normal telescoping tubing.

-kevin
AD6Z