[Antennas] Aluminum Tubing.

[Dick Hanson]

Jim....
An interesting and unfortunate story.
Here's my take, as I have been using aluminum tubing for many years building
antennae and masts.

Doesn't matter who you buy it from, one place is as good or bad as another.
The nice thing about getting it from TT is that you can buy really small
quantities without paying a minimum charge, something that is very hard to
do with major metal companies.

Most folks generally use .058 wall thickness for antenna projects because it
DOES telescope snuggly. It is important to debur and otherwise check for
surface imperfections which can result from the extrusion process or from
shipment. The steel wool and deburring routine is a great idea BEFORE you
try to fit it together the first time. If you have access to the Penetrox
product for the joints, that can be a decent option to make disassembly
possible later. Still others use .049 wall thickness to make assy and
disassembly a true no-brainer.

I have used 2" by 6' sections of tubing for a 30' mast I take on dxpeditions
that have inner and outer sleeves at the joints. The inner sleeves are
1.875"OD and the outer sleeves are 2.125"OD. All the tubing is .058 from TT.
This mast has been all over the world, and worst of all, always near salt
water, which makes matters worse. The secret is checking for dings,
lubrication of the joints and always rinsing with fresh water after
disassembly.

Anyhow, just another $.02 worth before everyone comes down on poor old
Gerald. He sells a good product, but doesn't have a clue how, where or by
whom his product may be used.

73
Dick, K5AND