Pete Klapp wrote: >> I'm trying to duplicate Mark Langford's comm antenna installation using a >> arrow shaft to support the lower half of the dipole.
I don't think I came up with that idea, I read it somewhere like Jim Wier's column or Bengelis or somewhere. There are other ways to do it, but there's no doubt in my mind that it can't be done with any better combination of reliability and low weight as with hollow arrow shafting. I got mine from Wicks, but I checked Wicks and AS&S and apparently neither sells it anymore. The last mention I see of it is in their 2007 catalog. A web search didn't turn up the same stuff, but one option is 1/4" x .060 wall round tube at http://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-tube-rod.htm#pricelist . It's heavier than mine (which is only.017" wall), but still lighter than wood and way lighter than solid fiberglass rod. Google searches turn up a lot of fiberglass tubing used for RC model spars, so an RC model shop would be worth a call. As for performance, as quickly as I threw mine together, I can hear or talk with no problem up to 150 miles away when I'm at altitude, and 175-200miles if it's relatively quiet on the frequency. Joe Horton and I talk to each other all the time at 150-170 miles between us. Carbon fiber is conductive, and attenuates or reflects radio waves. That's almost as bad as burying an antenna under aluminum. It's often used as a reflector or dish. Mark Langford N56ML "at" hiwaay.net website at http://www.N56ML.com -----------------------------------------t'---------------
