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Base Tram 1498 18' antenna broke internally after a year (internal pics included)

darklife

darklife

Modulating Madness
Apr 8, 2013
63
70
28
US
www.darkliferadio.proboards.com
Well this is ridiculous :mad:

Had the 1498 up for almost exactly a year and suddenly yesterday went to turn on the radio only to hear
silence. At first I thought it was my radio so adjusted squelch and then tried transmitting only to see my
SWR was deep in the red.

I was hoping it was just my coax or connectors but nope. Took down the antenna and tested it, gave it a
good banging around and it was completely dead.

I remembered many of the issues people had with some bad runs of the A99 antenna which this antenna is almost identical to so I thought maybe something worked loose inside.
Problem is there was absolutely no way inside this thing without taking a hack saw to it.
Welp I figured it was gonna be a loss either way so away I went at it...

Take a look at this shit, they soldered right at the edge of the coil wire barely even wetting the damn thing with solder so it just popped right off.
DSCN1193.JPG

Well after soldering it back on with a much better soldering job the base coil now works fine.
There is just one major problem.. I hacked the thing apart about 2-3" from the edge as can
be seen in the background with the adjustable tuning rings.
DSCN1194.JPG

Is it possible to slide a snug fitting piece of PVC over that and the antenna where I hacked it off and glue it back together?
What would the best glue be to hold PVC pipe over the fiberglass? I know it has to be extremely solid given how short this stub left is.

I know PVC isn't rated for structural use but I figure I can buy some heavy thick stuff and this antenna is only 20' off the ground anyway and super light.

Thanks for any advice, and yeah I know I can just tear the whole antenna apart and make a GP or something out of it, but I rather keep it working as is because it was a good performer until this.


Another pic of the coil section
DSCN1195.JPG
 
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Dark , If you go that route , take a piece of the Antenna you hacked off use PVC glue ( That stuff dries quick & bonds well ) & see how well it bonds to the PVC . Try chipping it off with something it won't take long to cure ( I hope ) :D . Another suggestion is buy a Fiber Glass repair kit , they usually come w/ mat & the rest you need . Try that . I'm sure others will chime in . I never Hacked one apart before . :) Stay Healthy & Safe ! 73 & God Bless ! Leo
 
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Shadetree Mechanic said:
I would just glue it together with JB Weld epoxy.
Click to expand...
I am considering that and use the right sized PVC to fit over it but I'm thinking that will take ages to cure.

Do you really think it will hold that strong and weather okay? I've never used JB Weld or PVC "cement" glue so not sure which would be stronger and last longer. I read somewhere that some epoxies don't bond well to PVC so I'll have to look into that.

Was thinking Oatly PVC cement and purple primer, but I'll add JB Weld to the shopping list if that's better.

edit: Just read JB Weld works on PVC and fiberglass
 
Last edited:
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I would combine some suggestions. Go with the fiberglass repair kit making the repair only thick enough to put the PVC nipple over if you feel the fiberglass patch is not enough.Should you use the PVC tube, you can pour liquid epoxy into the cavity between the PVC tube and your fb patch if you wish.
I was once given an A99 that had a shattered middle section. The inner wire was intact. I split a PVC tube along it's length, worked it over that split/shattered midsection, added four hose clamps, one at each end, two distributed along the tube, and used it for years before giving it to someone in need.
You can fix it.
 
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darklife said:
I am considering that and use the right sized PVC to fit over it but I'm thinking that will take ages to cure.

Do you really think it will hold that strong and weather okay? I've never used JB Weld or PVC "cement" glue so not sure which would be stronger and last longer. I read somewhere that some epoxies don't bond well to PVC so I'll have to look into that.

Was thinking Oatly PVC cement and purple primer, but I'll add JB Weld to the shopping list if that's better.

edit: Just read JB Weld works on PVC and fiberglass
Click to expand...
JB Weld will glue anything to anything, I have used it on all kinds of stuff over the years.
 
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If its a white finish that you need, there is a jb "water" weld that can be bought and it comes in a white color(one and done). I used this to repair a leak on a water faucet supply pipe(old metal) and the repair is still on it today after approximately 10 years or so. I have had a lot of luck fixing almost everything that breaks with the various jb welds that are sold. preparation is key, so follow instructions on how to prep surface to receive the epoxy. the only time I did not have luck with jb weld was when the temperatures outside were severely cold here in the midwest and the epoxy did not want to work for me, it could have been a combination of the cold and old epoxy.
 
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Be aware of the structural needs of this repair.
This is not a linear split in the tube, nor a hole or crack. You cut the antenna body into two parts around the body. You will to reproduce, ie, splint your 360° cut around the antenna body. There will be serious wind loading once it's in the air, and back and forth action continuously. Use as much epoxy or jb weld as you wish wherever you wish, but do not attempt to fix it without the reconstruction of the antenna body integrity. Use the fiberglass resin and cloth to rebuild the antenna, or some solution that gives you linear rigidity along the antenna body. Just applying any bonding agent around the cut may stick it together, but they will remain different materials with different yield strengths. I have used the fiberglass method on auto and boat body patches, in high pressure line fittings fabrication, and other tasks. You'll want integrity.

You removed it, you must restore it.

Homer.
 
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Okay a few quick questions and thank you all for the help. I am very grateful and feeling a little more optimistic (y)

I bought Bondo fiberglass resin. hardener, and cloth like those small repair kits have.
Also got some JB Weld and a 4" piece of schedule 80 PVC that fits loosely over the cut I made. Also have some other PVC that is larger diameter laying around if I need.

Should I go for the fiberglass repair stuff first? I have no idea how strong that would be as I've never done this. It has to support the whole 18' of antenna so not sure if that's enough?
Or I can skip that and only use the PVC fitting and fill it with JB Weld.
..Or both :cautious:

I am a little worried about JB Weld because it has some kind of metal particles in it and it will be right above the tuning rings area so would that effect the coil tuning having metal particulate in the resin so close to it?

Just need a sanity check before I start this so I don't make a terrible mistake half way through and waste $30 on repair stuff, even though it's always around for other repairs I guess.

If this all works out I will post pictures of my progress as I go if anyone wants to see my success or failure lol
 
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