Lots of Good Antenna Stuff at The Farm Store

[W9GT]

Now I realize you guys on the coast and in big cities might not have the opportunity, but out here in fly-over country this is a great source for good stuff.  I visited my friendly Rural King store this noon and noticed a lot of interesting items.  If you are building antennas, putting in radials, or any other radio stuff that requires hardware, you might visit your local farm store.  They have a bunch of different electric fence insulators, wire and other related stuff that you might use for antennas.  Fence posts and poles, tubing, and all sorts of U bolts and fasteners.  Also, nuts and bolts and other hardware items in bulk, for pretty good prices.  I even took special note of big bearings and housings that are used on farm machinery that might work for antenna mast thrust bearings.  Seemed to be a lot cheaper than commercially available thrust bearings that are expressly marketed for that purpose.  Places like Rural King and Tractor Supply are fairly common around here and have some good items at reasonable prices.  Maybe a better source than the big box stores or your local hardware.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[WQ9E]

Jack,

I get a lot of stuff at Farm and Fleet.  In addition to  hardware they have heat shrink tubing, small fiberglass fence posts good for multiple uses, and the dual fuse plugs (used on electric fence chargers) suitable for those who want to keep their vintage Johnson and Heathkit authentically dangerous.

In the midwest we may not have pretty scenery but at least we have farm supply stores

[Pete, WA2CWA]

http://www.ruralking.com/

http://www.farmandfleet.com/

[W9GT]

Jack,

I get a lot of stuff at Farm and Fleet.  In addition to  hardware they have heat shrink tubing, small fiberglass fence posts good for multiple uses, and the dual fuse plugs (used on electric fence chargers) suitable for those who want to keep their vintage Johnson and Heathkit authentically dangerous.

In the midwest we may not have pretty scenery but at least we have farm supply stores

Hi Rodger,

Yes I saw those two fuse line plugs in the electric fence stuff...maybe the idea is to shock the operator as well as the animals you are keeping enclosed.    Yes, those fiberglass posts/stakes can be used for open wire spreaders by cutting them into 4"-6" lengths.  I picked up some nice plastic insulators that are mounted on the end of long screw-in lag bolts.  They will make great standoffs for open wire.

What do you mean we don't have pretty scenery??? Lots of it here!

Thanks for posting the web site Pete.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Those electric fence insulatore are good for Beverages.

[N8UH]

Good memories! Twenty-some years ago, I build my first antenna (80M Dipole) from a couple electric fence insulators and cheap electric fence wire from a Farm and Fleet store. Good times!

It's true though. Lots of good bargains to be had at a farm store. My latest find is the big syringes they have for livestock. Great for precision oiling and dispensing small quantities of cleaner.

[k4kyv]

Yes, those fiberglass posts/stakes can be used for open wire spreaders by cutting them into 4"-6" lengths.

Be careful when doing it. I have found that when cutting fibreglass it sometimes shreds and then you get the microscopic glass fibres embedded in your fingers when handling them.  Kind of like stinging nettles, except the pain doesn't  go away any time soon.  They are so small that it is practically impossible to pull them out, even with tweezers and magnifying glass.

I never liked ordering stuff sight unseen, but I couldn't find any 10' hot-dipped tee posts in stock locally to support my open wire line, so I ordered some from out of town.  When they arrived, I knew right away that I would never have bought them if I could have seen them in stock first.  Every single post was warped so that instead of being perfectly straight, it formed an arc like a bow and arrow. Probably at least a 6" deviation from one end to the other.  To return them I would have had to pay shipping back to the company, and even getting them here one way, the shipping was almost as much as the posts themselves. I finally repaired them, of sorts, by clamping each one down by the spade guide to a long piece of wood so it wouldn't flip, and suspending them at the ends between two concrete blocks.  I then took a couple of wooden sticks that I could hold onto like ski poles to keep my balance, and jumped up and down on the midpoint of the warped posts until I had re-bent them more or less straight.  They still have some curves and kinks,  but nowhere near as badly as they were when I got them.  I don't think I could drive them into the ground the way they were bowed when they arrived.  The only thing I can figure out is that they used an extremely crappy manufacturing process.  And I didn't see a "made in China" tag anywhere.

[WA1GFZ]

I found boat places good for stainless stuff.

[WA3VJB]

Yup, boat places for good rope too.

Southern States for augur-type stakes to anchor ropes to the ground.

[K1JJ]

Some words of wisdom from Beverage-Meister  W8JI.    Buy Bev insulators that use a nail thru the center and let the wire FLOAT. The other types have too much stress on the end and break.

See the pics 1/2 way down his web page below:

http://www.w8ji.com/beverages.htm


T

[WQ9E]

Don,

For me, using a high speed cutoff wheel works best for fiberglass.  Those fibers are no fun in your fingers and I wonder how different it is versus asbestos when inhaled?  I use a mask when working with the stuff and the residue is extremely abrasive.  I knew some folks on the coast that did a lot of fiberglass boat repair and it chewed the bearings up in their power tools very quickly.  They and their hired workers always wore the better quality dust masks (not the little white mouth cover jobs).

Be careful when doing it. I have found that when cutting fibreglass it sometimes shreds and then you get the microscopic glass fibres embedded in your fingers when handling them.  Kind of like stinging nettles, except the pain doesn't  go away any time soon.  They are so small that it is practically impossible to pull them out, even with tweezers and magnifying glass.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Dat's the kind I got, except mine are black for stealth. I can't even see them in my own yard.

Some words of wisdom from Beverage-Meister  W8JI.    Buy Bev insulators that use a nail thru the center and let the wire FLOAT. The other types have too much stress on the end and break.

See the pics 1/2 way down his web page below:

http://www.w8ji.com/beverages.htm


T

[KB2WIG]

First he takes me in fer the nutering, and now this....

[KC2YOI]

It could be worse Yazman, much worse...

[KL7OF]

Don, Those Tee posts are made from low tensile, cheap steel scrap...They start out straight, but the hot dip galvanizing process always puts a bend in them...

[W2PFY]

Buy Bev insulators that use a nail thru the center and let the wire FLOAT.

By agreement with about 150 acres of hunting land that I lease, "We", since it's a club, can only use aluminum nails. I never tried any. I wonder if they would be strong enough to pound into a hardwood tree?