I am new to ham radio and am trying to learn about antenna building. I
have the capability to weld at home very thin material. Was wondering
if EMT conduit would be good for making an antenna? It seems light
weight and resists corrosion and is weldable.

I need somethign that will last. I will be putting it on top of my tv
tower and I am afraid of heights. I only want to do this once.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am new to ham radio and am trying to learn about antenna building. I
have the capability to weld at home very thin material. Was wondering
if EMT conduit would be good for making an antenna? It seems light
weight and resists corrosion and is weldable.

I need somethign that will last. I will be putting it on top of my tv
tower and I am afraid of heights. I only want to do this once.


If you only want to do it once then use some of the proven 6061 aluminum
tubing. Electrically the type of tubing will not make much differance, but
mechanically it will.

But I cant weld aluminum and I would bet it is expensive.

wrote:
But I cant weld aluminum and I would bet it is expensive.

EMT will corrode very quickly out in the weather - particularly if it's
welded, aluminum will not. EMT is much heavier per foot than aluminum,
etc. Aluminum antennas are easily constructed by using hardware store
U-bolts and other standard fasteners, usually stainless steel and they
work fine. Yes aluminum is more expensive than EMT but it's worth it
for a number of reasons. I suggest you follow the examples of those who
have been building antennas from aluminum for decades.

w3rv

Where do you purchase the aluminum from?

Where do you purchase the aluminum form?

On 2004-12-21, wrote:
Where do you purchase the aluminum form?

Hardware mega mart -- home depot, lowes, ace, or your local hardware store.

Just about anything you might want for building antennas can be found in the
electrical, plumbing or assorted hardware aisles.


--
Alex / AB2RC
Linux is user friendly, however it is not idiot friendly

Where do you purchase the aluminum form?

You might try a non-ferrous scrap yard in your area .....I have seen really
nice stuff of there for little more than scrap prices. I used to be able to
walk about the yard and look about but the insurance industry and the
lawyers put an end to that in most cases. A lot of the large scrap yards
have been gobbled up by the big national and international conglomerates. I
remember seeing piles of Al tubing rounds, squares, angles et al. Try
hanging out at the local tavern near the yard ...it is amazing what a few
beers will get you ..... this is in all seriousness .....

Take care ...Merry Christmas all ..... Tom Popovic KI3R Belle Vernon Pa.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Where do you purchase the aluminum form?

I have ordered some from Texas Towers.

http://www.texastowers.com/

I think it is the .058 sizes that telescope into the next size up. Also I
think that for UPS shipping you will have to get it in the 6 foot lengths.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am new to ham radio and am trying to learn about antenna building. I
have the capability to weld at home very thin material. Was wondering
if EMT conduit would be good for making an antenna? It seems light
weight and resists corrosion and is weldable.

I need somethign that will last. I will be putting it on top of my tv
tower and I am afraid of heights. I only want to do this once.


I've used EMT several times successfully - mostly for 10-meter work. I
didn't weld on them - just cut and drilled.
I expect welding would destroy the galvanizing and cause corrosion - unless
you plan to re-coat those areas with zinc.
One vertical dipole I made used a pvc junction box between the 2 EMT pieces.
I fed the coax thru one of the EMT ends thru to the junction box, where I
connected the coax to the conduit using stakon terminals and sheet-metal
screws.
The dipole was suspended from a tall tree branch. - and worked great for
years.


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