[TowerTalk] Cushcraft XM-240 Shortty-Forty questions

Gedas w8bya at mchsi.com
Sat Sep 12 22:26:34 EDT 2020


I concur.....AND, the sheet metal screw will come loose and corrode the 
contact between the wire and the aluminum.

Gedas, W8BYA EN70JT

Gallery at http://w8bya.com
Light travels faster than sound....
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

On 9/12/2020 9:38 PM, Kim Elmore wrote:
> I have a genuine pre-MFJ Cushcraft 40-CD2. The loading cools on it are covers in heat-shrink.
>
> Kim N5OP
>
> "People that make music together cannot be enemies, at least as long as the music lasts." -- Paul Hindemith
>
>> On Sep 12, 2020, at 6:19 PM, john nistico <electric911inc at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I just got a steppir with 40 meter add on it I love it.
>>
>> Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
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>> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of K9MA <k9ma at sdellington.us>
>> Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2020 7:08:54 PM
>> To: towertalk at contesting.com <towertalk at contesting.com>
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Cushcraft XM-240 Shortty-Forty questions
>>
>> I had an original Cushcraft A3S, which had trap coils and screws coated
>> with the hard epoxy. The screws clearly weren't going to turn, and I
>> never saw any evidence of poor connections, but I suppose the material
>> could have yielded. Replacement traps I got from MFJ (after insect
>> damage) had no coating on the traps, loose screws, wires wrapped
>> backwards, etc. They were junk. I would not recommend buying any MFJ
>> Cushcraft or HyGain antennas.
>>
>> I currently have an old Cushcraft D40, also pre-MFJ. I'm pretty sure
>> they have shrink tubing over the coils, though there may be epoxy under
>> that.
>>
>> Unless you see evidence of poor connections at the screws, I would leave
>> them as is. If the epoxy looks like it's suffering UV damage, it might
>> be worth covering it with UV-resistant shrink tubing or tape. I wouldn't
>> think the stray capacitance would be as critical is it is in traps.
>>
>> My D40 has been working for over 25 years, though I did have to replace
>> the center insulators, and the elements aren't quite straight any more.
>>
>> 73,
>> Scott K9MA
>>
>>> On 9/12/2020 5:07 PM, RVZ via TowerTalk wrote:
>>> Hi Guys,
>>>
>>> I purchased a Cushcraft XM-240 which was new in the box but was made about 10 years ago.  The label on the box says "Cushcraft XM-240", and doesn't mention MFJ, so perhaps it was made by Cushcraft.   My questions pertains to the 4 loading coils.  I believe the loading coils made by MFJ have heat shrink tubing over the coil, is that correct? The loading coils on this XM-240 don't have heat shrink tubing over them, rather the coil is covered with a thick shiny black epoxy which is very hard.  The epoxy has really sealed up the coils and self tapping screws that connect the coils to the aluminum tubing.  I believe the epoxy would be rather difficult to remove so I'm wondering if I'm likely to have reliable results using the traps "as-is" for a couple years, or if I should remove the hard epoxy from the self- tapping screws now and replace them with screws, nuts, and lock washers?  If I do replace the screws, should I cover them with more epoxy, use heat shrink tubing, or both?  Thanks
>>   & 73, Dick- K9OMWisconsin
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>> --
>> Scott  K9MA
>>
>> k9ma at sdellington.us
>>
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