[TowerTalk] F12 C19XR Rivets

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

It would certainly seem like it, but I'm not so sure.  Most of the 
better antennas work well once tuned up and may work great for some 
years.  The C3i antennas were great performers for some years. Yet when 
taken down, the coax match on all had the solder dissolved to the point 
where the matching section was no longer connected.  They would have 
stayed up for 4 or 5 more years before they failed, but a flock of 
Cormorants decided "THAT C3i 7L 6-meter antenna" was going to be their 
roost.  So I think failures are often attributed to the weather or age 
rather than design.

I found a broken element tight at the first rivet on the C19XR. 
Admittedly it was from rough handling.  My wife had some neighbors move 
the antenna (on saw horses) when I wasn't available to help. Holes in 
elements weaken them at that point, so I'd want that first rivet a 
little farther back so the larger tube would support the smaller at the 
weakest point.

Loose rivets?  I wonder if that was an installation problem?  With pop 
rivets even cleaning the hole out with even a 1/64th over size drill 
would likely be a source for problems. Pop rivets should be snug.  If 
installed one-at-a-time the following rivets may not want to go in, 
resulting in a hole being redrilled

73

Roger (K8RI)



On 3/9/2016 Wednesday 8:21 PM, Kelly Taylor wrote:
> Isn’t a lot of this talk a bit of picking the pepper?
>
> If joint conductivity of aluminum elements was a serious issue, wouldn’t we have heard something about it in the, what, 60 years we’ve been using aluminum tubing for antenna elements?
>
>
> 73, kelly, ve4xt
>
>
>> On Mar 9, 2016, at 6:36 PM, George Dubovsky <n4ua.va at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> If you weld the aluminum tubing, you destroy the heat treatment in the Heat
>> Affected Zone, resulting in a much weaker element.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> geo - n4ua
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 6:43 PM, Tom_N2SR via TowerTalk <
>> towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:
>>
>>> If you weld the tubing together, what is the wind rating then?  Kind of
>>> difficult to get apart, but very little risk of losing electrical contact,
>>> rivets failing, rusted screws, etc.
>>>
>>> Someone should try it and report their results.
>>>
>>> Tom, N2SR
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-- 

73

Roger (K8RI)


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