Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical
Created by on 2005-04-12Go portable with your Butternut vertical.
Do you use your Butternut vertical for portable operation like, Camping, Field Day or Dxpeditions? We all know how easy it is to damage the inductors and doorknob capacitors! Here is how to protect the 40 and 80-meter coils and the doorknob capacitors without dissembling that section of the antenna. On the HF2V these are the only coils you need to worry about. On the HF6V the 30-meter coil is easy to remove and reinstall and so we just remove it and place it in a box while transporting the antenna. If you don't use 30-meters you can leave it off eliminating the requirement of tuning that band. The HF9V antenna has two more coils for 12 and 17-meters that would be difficult to remove and reinstall. Simply use the same construction technique as used for the 40 and 80-meter coils. The material used for the construction of the coil shield is 4-inch PVC sewer pipe (the cheap stuff), one 4-inch T, and two 4-inch caps. Hardware required is a 1" X 1/2" brass finish corner brace, one suitable brass wood screw, and a 1 1/2"-inch hose clamp. You will need a, 1 1/4" hole saw, jigsaw, and a hand drill or drill press. Below is a picture of the completed coil shield assembly.
The 1 1/4-inch hole saw is used to cut the slots in the pipe along with a jigsaw. The technique is simple. Drill two holes for the ends of the required slot and then using a straight edge draw a line on each side of the holes and use the jigsaw to remove the pipe between them. I only cut one slot for access to the coil clamp wing nut used for adjusting the 80-meter coil, as this is all that was required. For the 40-meter coil cover I cut four slots. This is done for access to the coil clamp wing nut and allows you easy access to the 30-meter coil tap point. If this point happens to be between slots simply turn the upper pipe a little as no glue is used in the pipe joints. The two end caps have a 1 1/4-inch hole drilled in the center of each to clear the antenna element and keep the coils centered in the pipe.
A four inch PVC "T" is used for protection and clearance of the capacitors. Below is a close up picture showing how it's done.
Note the aluminum straps passing through 1 1/4-inch clearance holes in the pipe "T". The coil shield will slid up and down without something to hold it in place and could damage the capacitors. This is where the 1" X 1/2" corner brace, hose clamp, and screw is used as shown in the picture below.
Here is a picture of the top end of the coil cover.
The coil shield will lower the frequency of operation slightly after it has been installed. You might need to readjust the coils. Simply follow the tuning instructions in the manual for your Butternut vertical antenna. The cost of this project was less than $15 USD. That's cheap insurance for your Butternut antenna. I wish I had a HF9V antenna so I could detail construction of the 12 and 17-meter coils! Also check out the Butternut-antennas yahoo group if you enjoyed this article at
| G0GQK | 2005-11-07 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| I'll tell you one thing for nothing. Its easier to go portable with a Cushcraft R5. A great pity they stopped making that model, I suggest that they ought to put it back into production. NOW ! 73 Mel, G0GQK | ||
| N3ZKP | 2005-04-20 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| << I took it down before each forecast storm and virtually destroyed my coils.>> Interesting. My HF6V is mounted on a commercial office building, 25 feet in the air. This is in downtown Baltimore. The roof is 23k sq ft of corrugated steel and the antenna is mounted pretty much centered in the roof. It has been up for almost six years and the only time it has been down was in anticipation of Hurricane Isabel about 18 months ago. The only reason I took it down then was the forcest was for 75mph sustained and 90mph gusts. Turned out to be a waste of time as the max gusts (measured) at my QTH was only 71mph. It has ridden out those wind speeds several times previously. Incidentally, It is unguyed. All I did was lay it on the roof and put two cinder blocks on it to keep it from rolling around. :) Lon Reply to a comment by : AI2A on 2005-04-17 Hi Scott, I applaud you for sharing this idea. I had the same antenna a few years ago when I lived in a rented house. I took it down before each forecast storm and virtually destroyed my coils. Sure it still worked, but your marvelous tip would sure have been welcomed by me. Thanks for sharing, David, Ai2A Greenwood, Indiana | ||
| AI2A | 2005-04-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Hi Scott, I applaud you for sharing this idea. I had the same antenna a few years ago when I lived in a rented house. I took it down before each forecast storm and virtually destroyed my coils. Sure it still worked, but your marvelous tip would sure have been welcomed by me. Thanks for sharing, David, Ai2A Greenwood, Indiana | ||
| JGALT | 2005-04-15 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| I like the 'chicken wire fence roll counterpoise' idea. I will use that in future with my "Painter's Pole". The painters pole can also be configued as a half-wavelength radiator for the upper end of the HF spectrum, and this of course is very very efficient! Remember you will have to provide a method (the best being a Q-line) to match the high impedance at the bottom of the half-wave. The quarter wave configuration is both efficient, and easily tuned and impedance matched. Best regards, John Reply to a comment by : N4ZOU on 2005-04-15 It's really no big deal to remove the Butternut HF vertical from a fix station arrangement. Nearly all users of this fine antenna in fixed station use have it either ground mounted or elevated. If ground mounted you simply remove the large gage wire connected to the in-ground radials and unclamp the base tube. If it's an elevated instillation you leave the home brew or commercial radial plate and radial wires in place and unclamp the base tube. In either case it's easy to remove and reinstall the antenna, which is the reason there very popular for use portable. In operation at portable sites these antennas are easy to setup and operate. Once tuned at the fix station site only minor adjustments are required at the portable site and this takes less time than setting up a manual antenna tuner. The only adjustments required are on the 40 and 80-meter inductors and can be reached from the ground with the use of a small kitchen type stepladder for us short people! The HF2V antenna is a full 1/4-wavelength on 40-meters and is very good on 80-meters as well. The HF6V antenna covers 80 through 10-meters with automatic band switching for fast band changes. The HF6V and HF9V is also 26 feet in height and the entire element is used on all bands except 15-meters which improves efficiency of the antenna on bands above 40-meters as it's operating at lengths longer than a 1/4-wavelength. The popular portable ground system for use with these antennas is two 50' rolls of chicken wire fence forming an "X" under the guyed antenna with a short heavy gage wire connecting it to the ground screw on the antenna. The chicken wire is easy to rollup and store for many years of use. This antenna can be installed and operating at a portable site in minutes and not hours and no slinging rope in trees or erecting support poles or towers. I have seen one portable set up where the antenna was mounted to a trucks trailer hitch and the body formed the ground system and it worked very well. Reply to a comment by : JGALT on 2005-04-14 Just to suggest another approach, I would not want to go to the difficulty of un-installing, and re-installing my fixed station antenna back and fourth. I would instead make a more convenient -- and better efficient -antenna for portable use! A painters aluminum roller extension pole can be utilized as an adjustable FULL Quarter-wavelength whip. This is more efficacy (no traps etc), and will put more current into the air! If I wanted to use it on bands below 20 Meters, I would adapt it to accept a "top loading coil" for 30, 40, or 80 Meters etc. This could be done with the Hustler, or Buddy-pole coils, or you could wind your own. This method of loading would also put more current into the air than would the Butternut antenna. It would also be much more easily portable! Dimensions for the painter's pole for different bands: 20 Meters = 200.5 inches (or a bit shorter for higher frequencies - up the band) 17 Meters = 155.1 inches 15 Meters = 133.7 inches 12 Meters = 112.8 inches 10 Meters = 100.3 inches These are computed for frequencies at the bottom of each band, slightly shorter will re-resonate higher in frequency. Reply to a comment by : N0AH on 2005-04-13 Very clever. Well thought out. Nice to see and read this on Eham. I just wonder about the wind load in bad weather. Interesting that the PVC cover would notably lower the SWR. I assume it is due to it changing the natural impedence of the antenna. Can't be by much- Humm........refreshing pondering thoughts!!! This is why I gave up on my HF2V and went with my Hustler 6BTV. It's a crap shoot in the wind versus the HF2V but mine had problems from time to time with parts that just wore out. If I were only going to use an antenna for a week, for a one time set up on an important DX'pedition, I'd take the HF2V after checking all parts for potential screw-ups. But if I needed it for the long haul of taking it down and putting it up etc....I might consider a different antenna and forget the protection stuff, ie: the Hustler series. | ||
| N4ZOU | 2005-04-15 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| It's really no big deal to remove the Butternut HF vertical from a fix station arrangement. Nearly all users of this fine antenna in fixed station use have it either ground mounted or elevated. If ground mounted you simply remove the large gage wire connected to the in-ground radials and unclamp the base tube. If it's an elevated instillation you leave the home brew or commercial radial plate and radial wires in place and unclamp the base tube. In either case it's easy to remove and reinstall the antenna, which is the reason there very popular for use portable. In operation at portable sites these antennas are easy to setup and operate. Once tuned at the fix station site only minor adjustments are required at the portable site and this takes less time than setting up a manual antenna tuner. The only adjustments required are on the 40 and 80-meter inductors and can be reached from the ground with the use of a small kitchen type stepladder for us short people! The HF2V antenna is a full 1/4-wavelength on 40-meters and is very good on 80-meters as well. The HF6V antenna covers 80 through 10-meters with automatic band switching for fast band changes. The HF6V and HF9V is also 26 feet in height and the entire element is used on all bands except 15-meters which improves efficiency of the antenna on bands above 40-meters as it's operating at lengths longer than a 1/4-wavelength. The popular portable ground system for use with these antennas is two 50' rolls of chicken wire fence forming an "X" under the guyed antenna with a short heavy gage wire connecting it to the ground screw on the antenna. The chicken wire is easy to rollup and store for many years of use. This antenna can be installed and operating at a portable site in minutes and not hours and no slinging rope in trees or erecting support poles or towers. I have seen one portable set up where the antenna was mounted to a trucks trailer hitch and the body formed the ground system and it worked very well. Reply to a comment by : JGALT on 2005-04-14 Just to suggest another approach, I would not want to go to the difficulty of un-installing, and re-installing my fixed station antenna back and fourth. I would instead make a more convenient -- and better efficient -antenna for portable use! A painters aluminum roller extension pole can be utilized as an adjustable FULL Quarter-wavelength whip. This is more efficacy (no traps etc), and will put more current into the air! If I wanted to use it on bands below 20 Meters, I would adapt it to accept a "top loading coil" for 30, 40, or 80 Meters etc. This could be done with the Hustler, or Buddy-pole coils, or you could wind your own. This method of loading would also put more current into the air than would the Butternut antenna. It would also be much more easily portable! Dimensions for the painter's pole for different bands: 20 Meters = 200.5 inches (or a bit shorter for higher frequencies - up the band) 17 Meters = 155.1 inches 15 Meters = 133.7 inches 12 Meters = 112.8 inches 10 Meters = 100.3 inches These are computed for frequencies at the bottom of each band, slightly shorter will re-resonate higher in frequency. Reply to a comment by : N0AH on 2005-04-13 Very clever. Well thought out. Nice to see and read this on Eham. I just wonder about the wind load in bad weather. Interesting that the PVC cover would notably lower the SWR. I assume it is due to it changing the natural impedence of the antenna. Can't be by much- Humm........refreshing pondering thoughts!!! This is why I gave up on my HF2V and went with my Hustler 6BTV. It's a crap shoot in the wind versus the HF2V but mine had problems from time to time with parts that just wore out. If I were only going to use an antenna for a week, for a one time set up on an important DX'pedition, I'd take the HF2V after checking all parts for potential screw-ups. But if I needed it for the long haul of taking it down and putting it up etc....I might consider a different antenna and forget the protection stuff, ie: the Hustler series. | ||
| JGALT | 2005-04-14 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Just to suggest another approach, I would not want to go to the difficulty of un-installing, and re-installing my fixed station antenna back and fourth. I would instead make a more convenient -- and better efficient -antenna for portable use! A painters aluminum roller extension pole can be utilized as an adjustable FULL Quarter-wavelength whip. This is more efficacy (no traps etc), and will put more current into the air! If I wanted to use it on bands below 20 Meters, I would adapt it to accept a "top loading coil" for 30, 40, or 80 Meters etc. This could be done with the Hustler, or Buddy-pole coils, or you could wind your own. This method of loading would also put more current into the air than would the Butternut antenna. It would also be much more easily portable! Dimensions for the painter's pole for different bands: 20 Meters = 200.5 inches (or a bit shorter for higher frequencies - up the band) 17 Meters = 155.1 inches 15 Meters = 133.7 inches 12 Meters = 112.8 inches 10 Meters = 100.3 inches These are computed for frequencies at the bottom of each band, slightly shorter will re-resonate higher in frequency. Reply to a comment by : N0AH on 2005-04-13 Very clever. Well thought out. Nice to see and read this on Eham. I just wonder about the wind load in bad weather. Interesting that the PVC cover would notably lower the SWR. I assume it is due to it changing the natural impedence of the antenna. Can't be by much- Humm........refreshing pondering thoughts!!! This is why I gave up on my HF2V and went with my Hustler 6BTV. It's a crap shoot in the wind versus the HF2V but mine had problems from time to time with parts that just wore out. If I were only going to use an antenna for a week, for a one time set up on an important DX'pedition, I'd take the HF2V after checking all parts for potential screw-ups. But if I needed it for the long haul of taking it down and putting it up etc....I might consider a different antenna and forget the protection stuff, ie: the Hustler series. | ||
| N0AH | 2005-04-13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Very clever. Well thought out. Nice to see and read this on Eham. I just wonder about the wind load in bad weather. Interesting that the PVC cover would notably lower the SWR. I assume it is due to it changing the natural impedence of the antenna. Can't be by much- Humm........refreshing pondering thoughts!!! This is why I gave up on my HF2V and went with my Hustler 6BTV. It's a crap shoot in the wind versus the HF2V but mine had problems from time to time with parts that just wore out. If I were only going to use an antenna for a week, for a one time set up on an important DX'pedition, I'd take the HF2V after checking all parts for potential screw-ups. But if I needed it for the long haul of taking it down and putting it up etc....I might consider a different antenna and forget the protection stuff, ie: the Hustler series. | ||
| W3DCG | 2005-04-13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Bravo! Very cool. The quality of articles is up at least a couple notches this month. You know, for we who buy QST for the pictures. ;p | ||
| KF4VGX | 2005-04-13 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Clear | ||
| Enjoyed the read and your interest to experiment. Clear lexan ?? I sure could use tube type lexan. for a few of my projects. Any one know where that can be found?? Around a 1/4 inch . Reply to a comment by : W0FM on 2005-04-13 Great idea, Scott. A real "tank". You've created the HumVee of tuning coils. 73, Terry, WØFM Reply to a comment by : KA4KOE on 2005-04-13 Build one out of clear lexan---that way you could watch the corona discharge before the doorknob caps go BANG!!! Reply to a comment by : NS6Y_ on 2005-04-12 LOLOLOLOLOL!!! That thing just looks like a Butternut Of Mass Destruction lol!! Reply to a comment by : N4ZOU on 2005-04-12 Bencher, Inc will supply the parts that will degrade over time but you could rebuild it yourself with local materials. 1/4" Plexiglas can be drilled and cut with a jigsaw for replacement of the flat insulating materials used at clamps and the 15-meter trap. I never did like the setup of the 15-meter trap and replaced all that stuff with a section of 450-ohm ladder line. Hose clamps are used to hold the feed line turned 15-meter trap to the element and at these points the insulation is striped so this side of the ladder line is shorted to each section of element tubing to prevent any problems due to poor connections between the ladder line and the element. The other side of the line replaces the 15-meter trap wire. You will want to retain the top clamp and attach the top of the ladder line here to keep the feed line straight out from the element. The round insulators used in the coils may be replaced with PVC pipe. These are slightly larger than the aluminum tube they attach to so you would need to find someone with a Lathe to turn them down to the proper size. A Wood Lathe will work for this as will a drill press. Simply use a wood dowel that will fit tightly in the PVC pipe and Duct tape can be used if required to make the fit tight. Then simply cut down the PVC pipe to the required size. If using a drill press drill out the wood dowel and glue in a 3/8" bolt so the drill press chuck can be used to drive the PVC pipe and you will need a 3/8" bolt and nut attached to the drill press rest with a sharp point to support the work as you use a rasp or other cutting tool to remove the required material from the PVC pipe. Just think of your drill press as a vertical Wood Lathe! The only parts you can't make yourself would be the two fiberglass insulators. Otherwise, you would need to contact Bencher, Inc. about the required replacement parts if you don't want to do the work yourself. Reply to a comment by : W3TB on 2005-04-12 I bought my HF6V as W3TB/TF in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1983. It did a great job, although I had to guy it for Arctic winds and the coils would occasionally pack with snow. I still have it, but not in use. Does Butternut sell a rehabilitation package of parts? Other than the capacitors and hardware parts, it is still solid these 22 years later. | ||
| W0FM | 2005-04-13 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Clear | ||
| Great idea, Scott. A real "tank". You've created the HumVee of tuning coils. 73, Terry, WØFM Reply to a comment by : KA4KOE on 2005-04-13 Build one out of clear lexan---that way you could watch the corona discharge before the doorknob caps go BANG!!! Reply to a comment by : NS6Y_ on 2005-04-12 LOLOLOLOLOL!!! That thing just looks like a Butternut Of Mass Destruction lol!! Reply to a comment by : N4ZOU on 2005-04-12 Bencher, Inc will supply the parts that will degrade over time but you could rebuild it yourself with local materials. 1/4" Plexiglas can be drilled and cut with a jigsaw for replacement of the flat insulating materials used at clamps and the 15-meter trap. I never did like the setup of the 15-meter trap and replaced all that stuff with a section of 450-ohm ladder line. Hose clamps are used to hold the feed line turned 15-meter trap to the element and at these points the insulation is striped so this side of the ladder line is shorted to each section of element tubing to prevent any problems due to poor connections between the ladder line and the element. The other side of the line replaces the 15-meter trap wire. You will want to retain the top clamp and attach the top of the ladder line here to keep the feed line straight out from the element. The round insulators used in the coils may be replaced with PVC pipe. These are slightly larger than the aluminum tube they attach to so you would need to find someone with a Lathe to turn them down to the proper size. A Wood Lathe will work for this as will a drill press. Simply use a wood dowel that will fit tightly in the PVC pipe and Duct tape can be used if required to make the fit tight. Then simply cut down the PVC pipe to the required size. If using a drill press drill out the wood dowel and glue in a 3/8" bolt so the drill press chuck can be used to drive the PVC pipe and you will need a 3/8" bolt and nut attached to the drill press rest with a sharp point to support the work as you use a rasp or other cutting tool to remove the required material from the PVC pipe. Just think of your drill press as a vertical Wood Lathe! The only parts you can't make yourself would be the two fiberglass insulators. Otherwise, you would need to contact Bencher, Inc. about the required replacement parts if you don't want to do the work yourself. Reply to a comment by : W3TB on 2005-04-12 I bought my HF6V as W3TB/TF in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1983. It did a great job, although I had to guy it for Arctic winds and the coils would occasionally pack with snow. I still have it, but not in use. Does Butternut sell a rehabilitation package of parts? Other than the capacitors and hardware parts, it is still solid these 22 years later. | ||
| KA4KOE | 2005-04-13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Clear | ||
| Build one out of clear lexan---that way you could watch the corona discharge before the doorknob caps go BANG!!! Reply to a comment by : NS6Y_ on 2005-04-12 LOLOLOLOLOL!!! That thing just looks like a Butternut Of Mass Destruction lol!! Reply to a comment by : N4ZOU on 2005-04-12 Bencher, Inc will supply the parts that will degrade over time but you could rebuild it yourself with local materials. 1/4" Plexiglas can be drilled and cut with a jigsaw for replacement of the flat insulating materials used at clamps and the 15-meter trap. I never did like the setup of the 15-meter trap and replaced all that stuff with a section of 450-ohm ladder line. Hose clamps are used to hold the feed line turned 15-meter trap to the element and at these points the insulation is striped so this side of the ladder line is shorted to each section of element tubing to prevent any problems due to poor connections between the ladder line and the element. The other side of the line replaces the 15-meter trap wire. You will want to retain the top clamp and attach the top of the ladder line here to keep the feed line straight out from the element. The round insulators used in the coils may be replaced with PVC pipe. These are slightly larger than the aluminum tube they attach to so you would need to find someone with a Lathe to turn them down to the proper size. A Wood Lathe will work for this as will a drill press. Simply use a wood dowel that will fit tightly in the PVC pipe and Duct tape can be used if required to make the fit tight. Then simply cut down the PVC pipe to the required size. If using a drill press drill out the wood dowel and glue in a 3/8" bolt so the drill press chuck can be used to drive the PVC pipe and you will need a 3/8" bolt and nut attached to the drill press rest with a sharp point to support the work as you use a rasp or other cutting tool to remove the required material from the PVC pipe. Just think of your drill press as a vertical Wood Lathe! The only parts you can't make yourself would be the two fiberglass insulators. Otherwise, you would need to contact Bencher, Inc. about the required replacement parts if you don't want to do the work yourself. Reply to a comment by : W3TB on 2005-04-12 I bought my HF6V as W3TB/TF in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1983. It did a great job, although I had to guy it for Arctic winds and the coils would occasionally pack with snow. I still have it, but not in use. Does Butternut sell a rehabilitation package of parts? Other than the capacitors and hardware parts, it is still solid these 22 years later. | ||
| NS6Y_ | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| LOLOLOLOLOL!!! That thing just looks like a Butternut Of Mass Destruction lol!! Reply to a comment by : N4ZOU on 2005-04-12 Bencher, Inc will supply the parts that will degrade over time but you could rebuild it yourself with local materials. 1/4" Plexiglas can be drilled and cut with a jigsaw for replacement of the flat insulating materials used at clamps and the 15-meter trap. I never did like the setup of the 15-meter trap and replaced all that stuff with a section of 450-ohm ladder line. Hose clamps are used to hold the feed line turned 15-meter trap to the element and at these points the insulation is striped so this side of the ladder line is shorted to each section of element tubing to prevent any problems due to poor connections between the ladder line and the element. The other side of the line replaces the 15-meter trap wire. You will want to retain the top clamp and attach the top of the ladder line here to keep the feed line straight out from the element. The round insulators used in the coils may be replaced with PVC pipe. These are slightly larger than the aluminum tube they attach to so you would need to find someone with a Lathe to turn them down to the proper size. A Wood Lathe will work for this as will a drill press. Simply use a wood dowel that will fit tightly in the PVC pipe and Duct tape can be used if required to make the fit tight. Then simply cut down the PVC pipe to the required size. If using a drill press drill out the wood dowel and glue in a 3/8" bolt so the drill press chuck can be used to drive the PVC pipe and you will need a 3/8" bolt and nut attached to the drill press rest with a sharp point to support the work as you use a rasp or other cutting tool to remove the required material from the PVC pipe. Just think of your drill press as a vertical Wood Lathe! The only parts you can't make yourself would be the two fiberglass insulators. Otherwise, you would need to contact Bencher, Inc. about the required replacement parts if you don't want to do the work yourself. Reply to a comment by : W3TB on 2005-04-12 I bought my HF6V as W3TB/TF in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1983. It did a great job, although I had to guy it for Arctic winds and the coils would occasionally pack with snow. I still have it, but not in use. Does Butternut sell a rehabilitation package of parts? Other than the capacitors and hardware parts, it is still solid these 22 years later. | ||
| N4ZOU | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Bencher, Inc will supply the parts that will degrade over time but you could rebuild it yourself with local materials. 1/4" Plexiglas can be drilled and cut with a jigsaw for replacement of the flat insulating materials used at clamps and the 15-meter trap. I never did like the setup of the 15-meter trap and replaced all that stuff with a section of 450-ohm ladder line. Hose clamps are used to hold the feed line turned 15-meter trap to the element and at these points the insulation is striped so this side of the ladder line is shorted to each section of element tubing to prevent any problems due to poor connections between the ladder line and the element. The other side of the line replaces the 15-meter trap wire. You will want to retain the top clamp and attach the top of the ladder line here to keep the feed line straight out from the element. The round insulators used in the coils may be replaced with PVC pipe. These are slightly larger than the aluminum tube they attach to so you would need to find someone with a Lathe to turn them down to the proper size. A Wood Lathe will work for this as will a drill press. Simply use a wood dowel that will fit tightly in the PVC pipe and Duct tape can be used if required to make the fit tight. Then simply cut down the PVC pipe to the required size. If using a drill press drill out the wood dowel and glue in a 3/8" bolt so the drill press chuck can be used to drive the PVC pipe and you will need a 3/8" bolt and nut attached to the drill press rest with a sharp point to support the work as you use a rasp or other cutting tool to remove the required material from the PVC pipe. Just think of your drill press as a vertical Wood Lathe! The only parts you can't make yourself would be the two fiberglass insulators. Otherwise, you would need to contact Bencher, Inc. about the required replacement parts if you don't want to do the work yourself. Reply to a comment by : W3TB on 2005-04-12 I bought my HF6V as W3TB/TF in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1983. It did a great job, although I had to guy it for Arctic winds and the coils would occasionally pack with snow. I still have it, but not in use. Does Butternut sell a rehabilitation package of parts? Other than the capacitors and hardware parts, it is still solid these 22 years later. | ||
| W3TB | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| I bought my HF6V as W3TB/TF in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1983. It did a great job, although I had to guy it for Arctic winds and the coils would occasionally pack with snow. I still have it, but not in use. Does Butternut sell a rehabilitation package of parts? Other than the capacitors and hardware parts, it is still solid these 22 years later. | ||
| NI0C | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| I've never taken my HF-2V portable and probably never will; however, I'd like to point out another advantage of your PVC shroud. I once had a couple of doorknob caps literally blow up (this was on the 160m coil when I applied 600 watts at a frequency outside of the 2:1 SWR bandwidth. Pieces of the ceramic were missing from the capacitors and I never did find them. Your PVC shroud probably would have contained the shrapnel! 73, Chuck NI0C Reply to a comment by : KW4J on 2005-04-12 A novel way of protecting the coils. I have one permantently ground mounted. When I take it down for maintenance I may put the pvc over the coils. I have a lot of pine trees close to it and this looks like a good way to keep the pine straw away. | ||
| KW4J | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| A novel way of protecting the coils. I have one permantently ground mounted. When I take it down for maintenance I may put the pvc over the coils. I have a lot of pine trees close to it and this looks like a good way to keep the pine straw away. | ||
| VE5JCF | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| RE: Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| I'd worry about critters (e.g. spiders, etc.) in the summer and snow/ice in the winter; but then again, I'm a worrier! :-) Just transmit on whatever frequency you are resonant on before you tune up if you suffer from aracnophobia. Cooked spiders aren't as scary ;) VE5JCF Reply to a comment by : W2NSF on 2005-04-12 An elegant solution presented in an excellent way! Not to detract from an otherwise fine design -- in a permanent mounting, I'd worry about critters (e.g. spiders, etc.) in the summer and snow/ice in the winter; but then again, I'm a worrier! :-) Congratulations on the GREAT design!! | ||
| WX2YOU | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Fantastic! Wish I knew about this idea when I had my HF9V up.... I ended up getting a Titan because the coils changed so much in my climate, I was out and in with swr and adjustments drove me nuts! Again, hats off for such a novel idea! 73, -John wx2you | ||
| W2NSF | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| An elegant solution presented in an excellent way! Not to detract from an otherwise fine design -- in a permanent mounting, I'd worry about critters (e.g. spiders, etc.) in the summer and snow/ice in the winter; but then again, I'm a worrier! :-) Congratulations on the GREAT design!! | ||
| W2NSF | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| An elegant solution presented in an excellent way! Not to detract from an otherwise fine design -- in a permanent mounting, I'd worry about critters (e.g. spiders, etc.) in the summer and snow/ice in the winter; but then again, I'm a worrier! :-) Congratulations on the GREAT design!! | ||
| AB0XE | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| Fantastic I just bought the 9 band and am assembling this week. I had thought about using it for field day but was worried about wrecking it it transport etc this will work great, thanks for sharing a great idea steve AB0XE | ||
| N1JAO | 2005-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Go Portable with Your Butternut Vertical | ||
| really nice article! it looks like that is a good way to protect it even in a permanent installation. thanks! robert n1jao | ||
