Hello Jay:

Dang, you've got plenty coax horror stories. I never realized RG-8 made
such a good lasoo'!

The only coax story that I have worth repeating is when I was a kid CBer
back in the late 60's. I dis-connected my coax like a good boy cuz a storm
was brewing on the west horizon. My dad was sitting in his easy chair in
the living room when the antenna on the chimney took a hit, and the
friggin' lightning strike came down the coax across my bedroom and somehow
went right around my dad in the next room...then it hit his brand new
curtis mathis color TV and fried it.

We were both watching the tube when it happened and he commenced to blame
it on me and my CB antenna. He now admits that he didn't pay much attention
to grounding my droopy-drawers 1/4 wave when he installed it, but it was
like pulling teeth to get him to take any blame!



Jay in the Mojave wrote:
Hello Steveo:

Yeah I could see that coming! I have him some old water hose for running
the wires thru the fire wall, which he used.

But I think the all time blooper was when my child took off with the
"RED NECK" (Ford F250 4x4, 460 CI, worlds loudest Public Address System)
truck loaded with teenagers going to the "The Game". The coaxes had some
how got cough in the rear bumper, as it was very windy, well when they
took off, down came my small antenna farm on a push-up mast. A 6 meter
Interceptor 10K, a 2 meter Interceptor, two scanner antennas, and a VHF
Beam.

I thought a Jumbo Jet had landed on the roof. I was so mad at the kids I
told them to keep on going! They returned with a old Push up mast, and
between the 3 of them and me we had the antennas back up in service in
an hour.

But then it cost me the price for dinner for all of us, and a few girl
friends at the local family runned "High Flutin" Restaurant. Of course
we had to have the special, Lobster and Flite Menong. Not to mention
word had gotten out to all the distinguished radio enthusiasts on all
the bands, so now I had a few more for dinner promising not to say
anything about the antennas coming down from the coax and truck. For a
few drinks......

With a dinner bill of well over several hundred dollars, a good time was
had by all. I could have done without the loud thud on the roof tho.

Jay in the Mojave

Kreedentials:

Rock n Roll Fan
CB radio operator
5 Kollage credits
Desert dweller
Country & Westen fan, Have a lot of Hank Willams records also.....

Steveo wrote:
D'OH, just when you thought you'd seen it all along comes the drive
shaft! Lucky he didn't run the hot wire that way!

Jay in the Mojave wrote:

Hello Steveo:

A good friend I worked with who retired a few years ago, had this
problem.

He had a new Dodge Diesel 1 Ton Pick Up Truck. He had bought it damaged
from shipping. I looked it all over I couldn't see anything wrong with
it. So he wanted a first class CB radio Installation. He being one of
the worlds finest heavy equipment operators he had the cash to make
things happen.

He decided to install the radio, linear amplifier, and antenna himself.
After seeing all the installation I noticed the coax dangling down
between the cab and pick up box. He said it shouldn't be a problem.

Well after a few short days the Drive Shaft had somehow got the coax
wrapped around it and yes it pulled the coax out of the radio and
antenna. But because it was the cheap RG58C Coax it didn't hurt the
radio or antenna.

He said he talking to his friends and all of a sudden the radio went
dead. Hehehehee.

I replaced it for him in the parking lot. I had some coax left over. We
called him "The Drive Shaft"

Jay in the Mojave

Steveo wrote:


Jay in the Mojave wrote:


I used RG142 Coax, and made sure the coax didn't get wrapped up

in the drive shaft. Had that happen ONCE!


Oh man, did it yank the radio off the dash board Jay!?