[Lowfer] Time to build a new antenna - Insulator question

[Paul Daulton]

Andy try filling the inside of the pipe with urethane foam. This may stiffen 
it up. cpvc pipe which is a darker color is slightly stiffer and reportedly 
resists uv better . Urethane foam comes in spray cans to fill around pipes 
going through walls and spaces for insulation.

I did environmental testing on fiberglass pipe for 5 years, epoxy degrades 
badly in sunlight. Polyester resins do slightly better. Any houise paint 
will extend the life but be careful of metalic pigments( remember the duct 
tape).
Paul
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andy - KU4XR" <ku4xr at yahoo.com>
To: <lowfer at mailman.qth.net>; "Part-15 Yahoo" <part15 at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 9:19 AM
Subject: [Lowfer] Time to build a new antenna - Insulator question


> Hi All:
>
> The PVC pipe supporting the wire antenna here for " XR " has done
> its job, allowing for easy up, and down, experimentation. However
> it is becoming brittle due to the UV exposure, and will be on the
> ground not long from now, so it's time to put up something that
> will last for more than a couple of years.
>
> My antenna idea will be to use 10 foot sections of Aluminum chain
> link fence pipe. The 1 inch pieces that run along the top of the
> fence. They are light guage, but I'm only going up 30 feet, so not
> really a problem with wind hopefully. Also, the pipe is very
> economical so the antenna won't break the bank.
>
> My Question ::: I want to side mount an elevated loading coil at
> the 20 foot above ground level, so I will need to Insulate the top
> 10 foot section of pipe from the bottom 20 feet. What material will
> be good for that purpose ??? Would a wooden Dowel 1 inch in diameter
> do the job and not break off from too much load ??? It will need to
> be strong, because I will be connecting the tophat to it also, and
> that will add to the strain on the insulator separating the pipes.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions:  73 :::
>
>
>
> Andy - KU4XR - EM75xr - Friendsville, TN. USA
> LOWfer Beacon " XR " @ 185.29875 KHz ( QRSS-60 )
> Coordinates:  N:  35º 43' 54" - W:  84º 3' 16"
> http://www.myspace.com/beaconxr
> http://webpages.charter.net/ku4xr/
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