[amsat-bb] Boom For Satellie Array

[Stephen E. Belter]

Mike,

The M2 FGCB60 Heavy Duty Fiberglass Crossboom is well constructed.  I own two of them, one of which was on my tower for many years.  You won't go wrong by buying one.  (I bought the second one as part of a package of used satellite gear.)

Coating the fiberglass isn't a bad idea.  After 15-20 years of Indiana weather, mine is showing some surface deterioration.

Here's an alternative:  I'm currently using a crossboom that is square, instead of round.  That makes it easier for me to keep the antennas pointing in the same direction.  When the antennas slip a little on a round crossboom due to wind or ice loading, coax tugging on the end of the antenna, or less than perfect balance, the tendency is for the antennas to point a little above or below each other, or for the whole array to point above or below the horizon when the rotor elevation is zero.

I built my crossboom with an 1-inch square aluminum tube, two-feet long, clamped inside a Yaesu G5500 elevation rotor.  I then added two pieces of 1.25-inch square fiberglass booms that slide over the ends of the aluminum tube.  You can purchase the square fiberglass tubes from Max-Gain Systems, www.mgs4u.com.

Good luck with the new antenna array.

73, Steve N9IP

P.S.  If anyone wants one of my weathered M2 FGCB60 crossbooms at a really good price, I could bring it to the Dayton/Xenia Hamvention for delivery.  The purchase price will be donated to AMSAT.
--
Steve Belter, seb at wintek.com

On 3/9/19, 10:19 PM, "AMSAT-BB on behalf of radiomb" <amsat-bb-bounces at amsat.org on behalf of radiomb at bellsouth.net> wrote:

    Hello,
     I am redoing my antenna system. I will be putting up a 2MCP14, 436CP30, a small camera and some kind of 1.2 beam. Anyone using the
    M2 FGCB60 Heavy Duty Fiberglass Crossboom Kit. How do you like it?  Any other options? When I get it should I coat it with anything to weather proof it. The sun is bad in south Florida. Hi Hi
    TNX 73 Mike K4MIA
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