Wimo aerial full of water

[drskeptical]

Hello
Sad to say, I have a tale to tell re my Wimo aerial. Not very happy it is quite a long story with images so I have put the full detail onto my web page,  http://www.amsnw.co.uk

[AirNav Support]

Hi Andy,

I am sure if you contact Wimo they will be try and help you one way or another.

You did mention in that link about static issues about the ELAD. I think your are mistaken there as having a preamp with a bias t as ELAD has you are in the safest position to protect yourself from static going further down back to the RadarBox. Nobody having the ELAD kit has had static issues with RB so not sure where you got that from.

Best of luck of getting your setup back up again.

[drskeptical]

Hi Andy,

I am sure if you contact Wimo they will be try and help you one way or another.

You did mention in that link about static issues about the ELAD. I think your are mistaken there as having a preamp with a bias t as ELAD has you are in the safest position to protect yourself from static going further down back to the RadarBox. Nobody having the ELAD kit has had static issues with RB so not sure where you got that from.

Best of luck of getting your setup back up again.

Hi
Thanks for reply. I am not sure where I read about the Elad kit and static. Anyway not a problem I have removed the said phrase from the saga.
I think it will cost me about £50.00 in postage and insurance to Wimo, there and back. I can get an outside antenna from W&S for about £50.00. I will do that, as I can be up and running by next week end again. The great problem with having all this kit is when it is taken off you you miss it and want it back ASAP.

[flightchecker]

Andy, I am quite shure (not to say I expect) WIMO will handle your antenna repair /exchange under warranty aspects, if of course it has not been damaged by any “mechanical” influence.
There are so many GP1090s around, and it just seems to be bad  luck, that yours “sucked” water. No case like this reported before as far as I can see. Looks like a sealing problem of the protecting plastic cylinder, eventually a fissure.
When I received my GP 1090, its cylinder had been glued to appear tilted against the mounting, and would have looked horrible if mounted to a mast. Send it back, and got a new antenna within a couple of days.
Finally (despite its price, I agree)  it is not “commercial equipmnent” we’re talking about, though even of course commercial antennas might suffer a "behavior" as yours did.

Regards


Karl
 

[drskeptical]

Hi Karl
Thanks for that, this afternoon I turned over the house. Well, to be honest my wife found the reciept. Ok, Ok.
So now I feel in a much stonger position to go back to Wimo. The aerial has not been damaged in any way, shape, or form.
I bought the whole kit on 16th March 2008 mine also has glue around the base where it fits into the mounting, may be as you point out this could be where the water gets in.
But now that I have the receipt I can return it despite the postage costs to get them to exchange it.
I have ordered this afternoon a new outside aerial from W&S. If Wimo exchange it I will then have a spare. Plus I will be up and running sooner rather than later.
 

[CoastGuardJon]

Hi Andy, this just proves a point that a lot of us SWLs, hams etc., have learned over the years, get the top end as sealed as water-tight as possible, don't worry about the bottom end, if open to air, water drains and air can dry (I live within 100 metres of the sea, about 200' asl, facing sw gales/storms coming in off the Atlantic) - just need to be wary of salty air which can corrode solder, aluminium and plays hell with dissimilar metals.    Have a look on the 'net and buy a couple of tubes of silcone grease, lag connectors with it.    Water will percolate through co-ax, and even move upwards through capillary action if it can get into it.    The top of plastic drinks bottle can be placed over a connector and keeps it dry - doesn't look pretty or expensive, but works well!

[oceans777]

And be careful of some waterproofing puttys or pastes (Like Coax-Seal!) - they may do a decent job waterproofing but if you ever need to remove them from the connectors or coax (and you will someday) it takes an act of God to get the gunk out of the connector and elements.

Try it on your hand first or a similar metal surface and leave it awhile - if it just stretches to a gooey mess when removing and won't come off cleanly, find another product. You really don't want to be using kerosene or caustic chemicals to dissolve it off connectors later on.

There are waterproofing options that will do the job and remove without residual putty stuck in your connectors and on coax even after years of use.

I use rubber-based tape with UV and Ozone protection and properly applied, works great, comes off easily when you want it to. Also have use the grease Jon uses when lived in The Outer Banks here on the water. (many happy years monitoring CAMSLANT and RESCUE flights there along with DEA/Customs "PANTHER" drug boat chases in the Bahamas)

Not perfect for every application but I've never had water ingress or problems.

Better luck with your replacement antenna!

[flightchecker]

Good inputs CoastGuardJon and oceans777. learned a lot, thanks!

mine also has glue around the base where it fits into the mounting, may be as you point out this could be where the water gets in.

Note quite, Andy. I just wanted to mention that it had been glued together incorrectly: the plastic cylinder being "not in line" with its mounting, more an "optical" issue, the antenna itself behaving perfect since about two years.
And, once more: Im quite shure, WiMo will "help you out".

Karl

[WiMo]

Hello
Sad to say, I have a tale to tell re my Wimo aerial. Not very happy it is quite a long story with images so I have put the full detail onto my web page,  http://www.amsnw.co.uk

Hello Andy,
sorry to hear about the problem. We are happy to help, but indeed you would have to send the antenna here. We have sold several hundred of these antennas over the past years and never had this problem before. So I think it's a singular manufacturing defect, but we will have to check.

BTW: You would 'only' have to pay shipment cost one way, the return postage to you is on us.

Regards,
Ekki/WiMo

[flightchecker]

sorry to hear about the problem. We are happy to help

You would 'only' have to pay shipment cost one way, the return postage to you is on us.

Didn't I tell you Andy ? That is what WiMo calles "customerrelation".

Karl

[drskeptical]

sorry to hear about the problem. We are happy to help

You would 'only' have to pay shipment cost one way, the return postage to you is on us.

Well FANTASTIC News!

I have sent two emails direct to you Wimo but no response as of yet. I will send back to you tomorrow, just the aerial that is.
Mant thanks



Didn't I tell you Andy ? That is what WiMo calles "customerrelation".

Karl

[WiMo]

I have sent two emails direct to you Wimo but no response as of yet. I will send back to you tomorrow, just the aerial that is.
Mant thanks

That's bad and shouldn't happen - do you remember to whom you sent the mail?
If you want to contact me directly, try [email protected].

Regds,
Ekki/WiMo

[drskeptical]

I have sent two emails direct to you Wimo but no response as of yet. I will send back to you tomorrow, just the aerial that is.
Mant thanks

That's bad and shouldn't happen - do you remember to whom you sent the mail?
If you want to contact me directly, try [email protected].

Regds,
Ekki/WiMo

Hello Ekki

OK, I have sent a copy of the reciept and  email to the above email address.

many thanks once again

Regds
Andy