[OZAPRS] Stupid question - keeping foldable antenna base clean?

[Ron Perry]

Gaffer tape helps.


Damien Gardner Jnr wrote:
> So I think I've figured out why my D7 quite often goes quite deaf (i.e.
> I can 'hear' the digis repeating my posits as I drive from dandenong to
> frankston, but the D7 doesn't decode them).. - the antenna I have on it
> is a rather tall 2m/70cm dualbander that I bought from Andrews comms.. -
> it's made of lengths of stainless steel (?) with joiners (chokes?) at
> certain points up the length..  The base screws straight onto a PL259
> (dear god did that confuse me when I got it!), and at the top of the
> base, the antenna itself has a conical shaped bottom, which is held into
> an equally conical 'socket' by a spring - idea being that you can lift
> the antenna up, and fold it back (which I have to do every time I take
> dad to the hospital, or go into the city - what is it with 2.4m
> clearances?!?!?!).  The problem with this design, is that a) wind coming
> past the antenna tends to put enough force on it to lift it up a bit
> (Heading north up the hume will ALWAYS produce enough wind to have it
> lift up out of its socket and lay down on the bonnet.. - never does it
> coming south!), and make it wave around, and b) because of that, water
> gets in and it corrodes something horrid..
>
>  
>
> I gave it a damned good clean while cleaning the hilux the other day
> (first time it's had a wash in the 18 months I've owned it ;) ), and all
> of a sudden, the D7 has stopped being so 'deaf'..
>
>  
>
> Anyone else have one of these antennas and have a fix for this
> 'problem'?  I would just fibreglass or epoxy it fixed in place, but
> because of the length of it, i need to be able to lay it down a couple
> of times a week..  But I figure that I can't be the only one who has
> this kind of problem with one of these antennas??
>
>  
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> Damien
>
>  
>
> --
>
> Damien Gardner Jnr
>
> VK2TDG/VK2DGJ. Dip EE. StudIEAust
>
> Home: rendrag at rendrag.net -  http://www.rendrag.net/
>
> Play: vk2tdg at pinegap.net  -  http://pinegap.net/
>
> --
>
> We rode on the winds of the rising storm,
>
>   We ran to the sounds of thunder.
>
> We danced among the lightning bolts,
>
>   and tore the world asunder
>
>  
>
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