[TowerTalk] Shorty Forty Hose Clamp thread

[Jim Thomson]

##  I understand counter bore.... but how can you do a counter bore, when 
the tubing thickness is paper thin to begin with... like .058 wall etc?

Jim  VE7RF


-----Original Message----- 
From: Stan Stockton
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2015 6:53 AM
To: Jim Thomson
Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Shorty Forty Hose Clamp thread

After about 40 years of making my own antennas I learned something a few 
years ago when faced with assembling 65 tribanders (520 elements) we made 
for WRTC2014.

I was introduced to the element joint attachment method I am told is used by 
Optibeam.  I was skeptical when I heard the verbal description, having 
settled on pop rivets after every other conceivable method about 20 years 
ago.

I made one element with pop rivets and another with a single stainless steel 
socket head cap screw with a counterbore (head clearance on socket head 
screw) for one wall of the larger diameter tubing for each joint, then 
grabbed each one in the center and violently shook them back and forth.  The 
one with SHCS joints felt like one solid piece of tubing as compared to the 
pop riveted one.

It is so easy and so solid, I will never mess with pop rivets again.

A V block fixture with stops, drill press and some of these bits along with 
straight bits for the smaller diameter tube drilling are all that is needed.

http://www.wttool.com/index/page/category/category_id/14686/

make the job easy in comparison to many methods.  The counterbore is 
important.  Use stainless nylock nuts.

YMMV but I'm sold on it.

73...Stan, K5GO

Sent from Stan's IPhone



> On Aug 13, 2015, at 7:42 AM, Jim Thomson <jim.thom at telus.net> wrote:
>
> The rest of the yagi should be using  3 x rivets
> at each joint.
>
> Jim  VE7RF