On Sun, 21 Nov 2004, W1PR wrote:

I had an unusual structural failure recently when all the bolts securing the dome to the body of my antenna rotor apparently worked their way loose, allowing the rotor to separate, unceremoniously causing my A3WS and A4S beams to crash to the ground. Luckily there was no damage to the roof off which they must have bounced on their way earthward. Most of the damage to the beams involves the end sections of the elements, which got pretty bent. Here's my question: is there a way to straighten out the aluminum tubing without breaking it? Does a tool exist to help do it?

It depends on how badly bent. If the tubing is kinked or crushed at the bend, I doubt if it can be straightened without either breaking or severely weakening it. If it's a gentle bend over several radii of the tubing itself it can probably be carefully straightened by hand.

Advice appreciated.

If kinked or deformed, I think your best bet would be to try to find some tubing of similar wall thickness with an outside diameter just under the inside diameter of the damaged tubing. Cut the tubing at the bend and use a cone-shaped tool like closed long-nose pliers to make the cut end round. Insert the repair tubing as a splint inside the cut ends. Secure the whole thing with pop-rivets if a good tight fit or cut slits down the dubing from the cut ends and use hose clamps.

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