[TowerTalk] Have you had success with ....

[Richard Smith]

 I believe that the rope in the elements, specifically the element tips, is particular to the Hy-Gain yagis, at least the 20, 15, and 10 meter designs. I have seen a Hy-Gain yagi, a 5 element 15 meter yagi, with most of its element tips broken off by regularly occurring, but not huge, winds. The yagi was built without the rope in the element tips that is shown in the manual for the antenna.
I replaced the element tips in 1992, with the rope in the tips per the instructions in the manual, and did not have any element tips break off during the next 17 years of service at the same location.
Just sharing my experience.
73, Rich, N6KT
    On Saturday, July 20, 2019, 05:17:53 PM PDT, Tim Duffy <k3lr at k3lr.com> wrote:  
 
 Hello Tom:

I have 26 Yagi's in the air here and my experience is the same as yours. No end caps ever on the elements and no problems. Also no water related corrosion issues.

Every time I am involved in a takedown of a Yagi for a friend ham - and there are caps - there is water inside.

Condensation is a real problem and taking steps to deal with it (dry) slows the aluminum corrosion process.

I have never used rope in elements - no breakage here.

I must be lucky :-)

73
Tim K3LR

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom_N2SR via TowerTalk
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2019 8:09 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Have you had success with ....

 Helped a friend take down his old Mosley CL-33 (being replaced with a C19XR soon).  I rigged the antenna to lower it, and when I pulled the U bolts, the antenna wanted to flip backwards - because of the water in the boom - because he put the caps on.  
All of my antennas (Force 12) have no caps on the boom nor elements.  Have had zero problems with spiders, bees, wasps or other flying creatures.  
73, 
Tom, N2SR



    On Saturday, July 20, 2019, 12:42:44 PM EDT, Tim Duffy <k3lr at k3lr.com> wrote:  
 
 Hello Bob:

How do you get the water out of your elements with caps on them?

73
Tim K3LR

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob Shohet, KQ2M
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2019 12:31 PM
To: john at kk9a.com; towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Have you had success with ....

My experiences have been different from KK9A.  Open element tips with nothing capping them, is just an invitation for spiders, bees, wasps and other flying creatures to nest in them (extremely common here in the deep forests of Western CT) and their nests block the drainage of water, trapping it inside for it to freeze and split the element.  Or, the water stays inside and the weight builds up adding to the potential weight and torque imbalances in a heavy wind.

Prior to my living here I really didn’t think that spiders would want to climb much less nest in anything 130’ off the ground.  I was wrong.  And the bee/wasp/flying insect issue was a problem with element tips too.  Now I don’t ever have a problem with them in my antennas because they can’t get in because I cap and seal the ends.  Antennas that use traps have an even bigger potential problem – there have been many past posts on this reflector on the topic of trap failures because of nesting insects.  

CAUTION:  Different qth’s have different climates and different critters.  Be sure that you know what you are dealing with BEFORE you make a choice to not cap your element tips.

73

Bob KQ2M


From: john at kk9a.com 
Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2019 11:54 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com 
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Have you had success with ....

I have been using NO end caps for decades. There is nothing to fall  
off and nothing to seal water inside the boom or elements which would  
cause severe damage.

John KK9A




Charles Morrison N1RR wrote:

Have you had success with:
Hot glue gun to attach vinyl end caps to aluminum yagi tips or boom ends ?

-Charlie N1RR
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