Boy the weather must be worse then it is around here. I think the sun gets to the coax along with the pollution in the air. The harness is about the only thing that gets one to fail here as a rule. I guess number two is lighting. I to have noted very small cracks but none of them had any effect on how the DB-224(e) worked. Of Crosse it is 8 degrees now so I mite have to eat my words if any water got in to any thing before the deep freezes hit. Good luck! 73 Russ, W3CH
----- Original Message ----- From: "kf0m" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 11:48 PM Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] DB-224 Spacing Came Out Ok > > As for what goes wrong with a DB224, my experience has not shown any problem > with the harness. > > All of the problems I have found have been related to cracks in the > elements. I just removed three DB224E with the 37 inch elements in > November. All had been in place for about 10 years. The coax harness on > all looks fine. > > However, each element was cracked to some degree on the outer side of the > lower loop right where it meets the large diameter arm that mounts it to the > mast. > > The other common place I have seen cracks on another DB224 that is over 15 > years old is the center of the U portion of the loop. That is the point > where the stress and thinning of the metal is the greatest due to the effect > of forming the element. The crack usually occurs at the point where the > drain hole is drilled. Or sometimes I have seen a crack that looks like the > lower element filled with water and froze. > > The vast majority of cracks appear to fatigue based from element vibration > stress rather than freezing water. > > I have also seen the plastic insulators at the feed point get brittle and > fragile with age. > > So far the harnesses have looked good except for the tape that secures them > to the mast. > > John Lock KF0M > Wichita KS > kf0m at arrl dot net > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: russ [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 4:50 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] DB-224 Spacing Came Out Ok > > > > > > > > Hey Mathew, > > This is great news! > > The DB-224 is a very good antenna and should > > give you years of great service with the new harness. I think > > that is about > > the only thing that > > ever goes wrong with them. Reminder to use some lock-tight before you > > install it permanently. > > Please let us all know how your test go! > > Very best of 73, > > Russ, W3CH > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "w9mwq" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 5:00 PM > > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] DB-224 Spacing Came Out Ok > > > > > > > > > > > > > Well I applied the new harness to the DB-224 today and it came out > > > just fine. Actually the element's did not end up into the mounting > > > section of the antenna like I had thought it would. As it turns > > > out, I had to move the bottom elemnet up an inch or so. It looks as > > > if the previous owner had moved the elements, but never changed the > > > harness. SO hopefully the weather will be decent Saturday and I can > > > take it outside and test it. Thanks for all the input. > > > > > > Mathew > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
