Looking for fiberglass antenna part
 

Ed wrote:
(top posting fixed)


As a modification to this, since you can stand 1/2 inch thread, how
about using a 1/2 inch bolt and brazing or silver soldering some 1/2
inch ID tube over it? Not only will this be easier than trying to
center the 3/8 and potentially stronger than epoxy, but it would keep
that RF continuity.

This is the sort of part that's expensive to turn out as a one-off
part, but very easy to manufacture on an NC lathe -- even a cam-driven
automatic screw machine would handle this with ease. Because of this
I suspect that there aren't any on the open market; rather a
manufacturer would just send drawings to their favorite screw machine
place to have them made 10000 at a time.

It's also the sort of part that's fun to make in limited quantity --
it looks pretty, you get to practice your threading, yet its not too
critical. So you might want to take up Paul's offer, perhaps with a
nice drawing. Just don't ask him to make too many.



Good information, (below), thanks. On the issue of availability,
though, I have to wonder why they would NOT be available for sale?
Obviously, certain manufacturers of the multitude of ham-stick type
antennas use them. There must be a large scale source, somewhere!

Ed

Actually my point was that this is exactly the sort of market where
there _won't_ be a large-scale source, at least not an open one. It's a
market dominated by a few vertically integrated manufacturers, who have
no vested interest in commonality of parts and _do_ get advantages from
having design control over the parts they get. If nothing else it make
it much more expensive for the guy down the road to start up his own
operation.

Consider that nuts and bolts were not truly standardized until around
100 years ago. Before (AFAIK) then manufacturers would specify by size,
but there were no commonly used standards until the SAE got together and
made it happen. As a result nuts and bolts became commodity items and
the price went down.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Looking for fiberglass antenna part
 

Hi, Ed.
No, I am not a "machinist". Just hobby that turned into a very useful
way to make/build/repair things.

I was a retired computer programmer/systems analyst/data communications
consultant. After my partners and I sold the business in Kirkland, WA,
my wife and I moved to dry/sunny Central Oregon. Was 4° this morning.
8-10" snow on ground for 2+ weeks. Maybe Puget Sound wasn't so bad
after all!

After 1 1/2 years, my wife thought I should find a job. Noting for a
guy 60 years old. Saw an ad for a partner in an elctronic assembly
business here in Redmond. Bought 45% of the business in 2000. We had
one customer. Have built it to $750,000 in sales this year and 7
employees. Partner died a year ago, and the widow gave me the rest of
the company in exchange for paying off a note. Hope to do a million
next year!

Without the metalworking hobby experience we would have spent many
thousands of dollars on tools, tooling and equipment.

I have been working on getting a mobile HF set-up in my pickup truck.
Working on mobile mounts for antennas since last summer. Still no
decision on how to mount.

So, Ed, can we make contact on 75 meters or 160, or where? We can
discuss this some more on the air!

Paul, KD7HB

Looking for fiberglass antenna part
 

Actually my point was that this is exactly the sort of market where
there _won't_ be a large-scale source, at least not an open one. It's
a
market dominated by a few vertically integrated manufacturers, who have
no vested interest in commonality of parts and _do_ get advantages from
having design control over the parts they get. If nothing else it make
it much more expensive for the guy down the road to start up his own
operation.

Consider that nuts and bolts were not truly standardized until around
100 years ago. Before (AFAIK) then manufacturers would specify by
size,
but there were no commonly used standards until the SAE got together
and
made it happen. As a result nuts and bolts became commodity items and
the price went down.



Understand what you are saying, but this item I am describing is
pretty much standardized, near as I can tell. Soooo many mobile antenna
manufacturers, including CB, use it on their 1/2" fiberglass rod based
antennas, that I am pretty sure there must be a sizable source,
somewhere.


Ed

Looking for fiberglass antenna part
 

....[snip]....
I have been working on getting a mobile HF set-up in my pickup truck.
Working on mobile mounts for antennas since last summer. Still no
decision on how to mount.

I once mounted a 7-foot-long plain ol' 2x4 on the outside of my pick-up
truck's bed on the driver's side with 2-3 angle brackets. This gave me
a nice platform for mounting all sorts of whip antennas using no more
than an electric drill, some screws & bolts, and a big screwdriver. At
one time I had three hamsticks (for three different bands) mounted at
the same time, with coax to a selector switch inside next to the radio.
Probably wouldn't have worked too well if/when the 2x4 got wet, but for
experimentation it was just fine.

Later I mounted a PAIR of hamsticks (for the same band) end-to-end (to
make a horizontal dipole pointing fore and aft) on a wooden post which
stuck up about two feet above the cab. Worked like a charm! (Think
NVIS). Until I drove into the garage and the forward-pointing whip
speared the loop in the garage-door pull-down loop!
--
--Myron A. Calhoun.
Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and cartridge
PhD EE (retired). "Barbershop" tenor. CDL(PTXS). W0PBV. (785) 539-4448
NRA Life Member and Certified Instructor (Home Firearm Safety, Rifle, Pistol)