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@wintek.com
On 3/9/19, 10:19 PM, "AMSAT-BB on behalf of radiomb" <amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org on behalf of radiomb@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 _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb