[TowerTalk] Fwd: Fwd: Rohn Bolts AND nuts - won't mate

[Hans Hammarquist]

I find the "flimsy" TV antennas more being "mechanical fuses". I prefer if my TV antenna blows to pieces than my tower coming down due to too much wind load. They seem to be strong enough (which is what counts) to survive weather over some years.


I just scavenge a very large VHF, TV antenna from my neighbor that had been up for at least 40 years. Disregarding a few minor damages caused by the removal from his roof the antenna was in good shape and is now serving me and my XYL.



I have been thinking about that many times and wondered what tube I should use to support my antennas. If I make it just thin enough the wind load will be reduces at a heavy storm if the tube breaks, leaving the antennas as scrap metal on the ground but my tower intact. Any thoughts?


Hans - N2JFS



-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Greenlee <patrick_g at windstream.net>
To: towertalk <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Sun, Jan 31, 2016 9:11 am
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Rohn Bolts AND nuts - won't mate

No argument here Roger but given a choice when product is equal or better I would rather put my money into the American economy instead of a foreign on, particularly China.  I sure recall the difference in rolled aluminum tubes and extruded ones as elements on TV Yagis. When re-purposed as wing spars in DIY RC aircraft the extruded were terrific and the rolled were useless.I have been dealing with a retired USAF tech 


On 1/30/2016 11:31 PM, Roger (K8RI) on TT wrote: 


> I agree with the purchase at the places where you get cheap products, > But when it comes to TV antennas, (for a back ground)  When I was in > my 20s and started work at a new job, I also installed TV antennas on > the side.  Like most of the younger crowd with at least a little > ambition, I tried many side jobs, but settled  on ham radio as a > business as well as firearms.  It didn't take long to work out all the > 


On 1/30/2016 Saturday 12:38 PM, Patrick Greenlee wrote: 


>> See the quality of Chinese goods at Harbor Freight and Northern tool >> to name two places.  The Chinese are not backward third worlders >> devoid of technology, including an understanding of QA and QC.