I have a old Pole Cat CB Base antenna that won't handle more than about 150 or so watts, mine is a mixture of different ground plane antennas but am wondering what i would have to do to get it to run a little more power through it, maybe 2 to 300 watts, i like this antenna, it tunes easy, has flat SWR across the band at least 120 to 140 channels, so i do not need to worry with SWR problems, but for now i need to take it down and replace the screws which i hate and replace them with hose clamps, cut a slot and put the clams on.
Thank you
Johnn Arredondo
Mighty Mite
May I suggest using rivets before cutting slots and weakening your antenna and hose clamps that the screw and housing will rust unless you use marine grade all SS hose clamps.
1/8" "Closed-End Blind Rivets" with an aluminum rivet and a STEEL mandrel used on aircraft.
http://www.mcmaster.com/
97524A020 (1/8" .063 - .125 thick)
Used for double wall thickness (.058 x 2 = .116" thick) on all your standard element joints.
97524A021 (1/8" .126 - .187 thick)
Used for triple wall thickness (.058 x 3 = .174" thick) on main radiator joints.
97524A106 (3/16" .063 - .125 thickness)
Larger rivet used for double wall thickness (.058 x 2 = .116" thick) on large main radiator joints.
I use 3 rivets per joint which gives me over 900# of shear strength. On a 4" overlap I space the rivets at 0.25", 2.0", and 3.75" from the end of the tubing. This gives me a solid joint across ALL 4" as opposed to only the first 1" when using a clamp.
Notice the end is not like the regular pop rivets you get in the local hardware store. These rivets are weather tight and are designed specifically for applications with vibration. If necessary, they can be drilled out for repairs or transport and new rivets installed for re-assembly. The use of sheet metal screws tends to render disassembly difficult at best, since material from the inner tube is pulled into the hole and into the space between the tubes. Hose clamps can break or become loose and present a nuisance when erecting the antenna.
I use Morgan RF Systems M-602 anti-oxidant compound:
https://surgestop.com/mounting-hardware/m-602.html
on ALL my aluminum to aluminum joints which improves my conductivity plus eliminates air (oxidizer) getting into the joints. Much better than Penetrox or Noalox (lead powder in an oil bath).
Just my .02
Good Luck