Good guess, use copper tubing from your favorite home center store!
What you see in the transmitter is more likely than not silver plated
copper tubing.
When I was the chief engineer at an AM station with a 5 tower AM
directional array several years ago and we rebuilt the phasing and
tuning circuits used plain old copper tubing from Lowe's. I mashed the
ends flat with lineman's pliers, nipped off the sharp corners using the
cutter part of the same pliers then dunked it in a solder pot to tin the
ends well. Silver solder like plumbers use is the best but regular
resin core solder will work too, you just have to clean the sticky gunk
off after it cools. Clean the ends well with emory cloth before you
shape it and use a punch to cut your holes before you tin it or a drill
afterwards if you don't have a punch. Whatever you do, don't use acid
core solder! If you don't own a solder pot, try an old (small) saucepan
or maybe a food can on a camp stove. Be sure to use something that will
take the heat because silver solder has a higher melting point than
resin core solder.
You've already mentioned that you need 1/4" diameter tubing so you
should be OK using the cheap copper swamp cooler tubing from Wally
World. We used 1/2" for our 10 kW system so you ought to be good for
several thousand watts.
Stevan A. White, W5SAW
SW Commercial Electronics
928 South Crockett Street
Amarillo, Texas 79102
Phone 806-681-7228
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Our five senses are incomplete without the sixth -- a sense of humor."
-- Source Unknown
Bill Smith wrote:
Automobile air conditioning line? Or perhaps tubing from a refrigerator?
Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Brashear" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service'"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 6:51 PM
Subject: [AMRadio] Tubing
I need to make a couple of RF connections using 1/4" O.D. tubing. The stuff
that is already in the transmitter appears to be soft steel of some kind.
It's not aluminum and could possibly be coated copper. Any ideas of what
this is? I checked McMaster-Carr and they have some annealed steel aircraft
tubing that appears to be similar, but I'm not sure. I only need a couple
of feet, so I hate to buy $30.00 to get it.
Thanks for any help or advice...
Rick/K5IAR
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