[ARDF] fiberglass yagis

[Kuon & Dale Hunt]

Charles wrote:
...
>Right now I'm looking for a good source of thin fiberglass rod. I find lots
>of manufacturers on the web, but few distributors/retailers. Anyone know
>of any
>sources?


    I get the fiberglass electric fence posts at the local farm supply
    store as Joe mentioned, but they probably will be thicker,
    stiffer, and heavier than desired.  And probably not as strong
    as it looks like they should be, either.  But check them out
    anyway.

    My thoughts were the bicycle flag masts, which are a thinner
    diameter rod, and should be designed to withstand more lateral
    movement than a typical fence post.

    I was going to try connecting them to the boom with the joints
    designed for fishing rods, which might provide adequate
    electrical and mechanical strength.  Making all removable
    elements the same size simplifies carrying spares.

    I discussed antennas with the Bruce VK3TJN in Albuquerque - they
    are using the Kevlar core from fibre optic cable.  Seems rather
    strong.  You might ask Bruce how well it has held up over the
    years.  (His antenna included a quick-release seat belt clip
    that he used to fasten it to the OUTSIDE of his car for mobile
    hunts so it could be grabbed quickly for sniffing.)

    Meanwhile I happened to pass a retail plastics shop the other
    day and walked inside...  they had fiberglass and polycarbonate
    rods and tubes in stock in various sizes.  You might just check
    the Yellow Pages (yes, an old fashioned concept!) under Plastics
    to find local distributors.

      - Dale WB6BYU


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