[AK-VHF] metric bolts for RAK

[Edward R Cole]

Well we got as windy day, today.  Only been a week since I discovered 
the Alpha-SPID set screws loose and tightened all eight of them.

My 6m-eme array is free-rotating in the wind.  Apparently the set 
bolts loosened up in only a few hours of wind, and the remains of the 
shear bolt has fully sheared off.  And all because the mfr was too 
cheap to supply stop-nuts (or lock-nuts) to keep the set bolts 
tight.  I actually tried adding a stop nut but that left too little 
thread to tighten the set bolts (nut needs to be thinner or bolt longer).

So either try to find longer metric bolts in America or quit and 
smash everything to H and take up stamp collecting.

Was considering trying eme with the new array pretty soon, but it 
will cost me another $233 to rent a man-lift just to tighten the bolts (again).
Well, I will use a 1/2-inch shear bolt this time (equivalent diam to 10mm).

I did test the RAK and its rotating ((evidenced by the change in 
direction on the indicator) so apparently not a gear failure -just 
not attached to the antenna.
Hopefully array will not over-rotate and destroy coax lines in the process.

73, Ed

At 02:37 PM 3/31/2021, Andrzej Hoffmann wrote:

>Hi Ed.
>
>If you have a problem with the metric screws I can send you some. 
>Write down the length of the bolt you need. The original ones are 
>probably 25 mm. As far as I know, they are M10 threaded screws.
>
>Vy 73
>
>Andrzej SP2FRY

73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
   dubususa at gmail.com