AKBiocca Engineering

Recently we have been testing a new trigger strut. This simple upgrade to the CSV launchers prevents the trigger from moving on the threads. In the distant past we used to glue these threads, but that did not always work and it made service difficult. Recently we have recommended using teflon tape in the threads which works well but does not provide firm support for the trigger, so it may move. The new aluminum strut goes from the rear of the barrel to the top of the trigger and solves this problem.

Eric and I are preparing to do an invited presentation on Antenna Launching at the March 25th meeting of the North Hills Radio Club near Sacramento. If you are in the area we hope you can come by. This will be a bit different than the last presentation in Sacramento when the projector was not available. At least we hope it will be different, and we can show the slides and video that we have. We will also bring some launchers to look at. No selling is planned for this event.

We had a busy weekend at Monterey Radiofest visiting with lots of folks and answering Launcher questions. In between I worked on a new Web Catalog which is now online (not bad for four days part-time effort). I also see that the website was very busy with lots of hits and orders over the weekend, probably relating to the March QST photo and mention.

If you have any questions or suggestions on the new Catalog website, see the Contact Us web page on the right and drop us a line.

New Online Catalog

Some folks are questioning the long lead times. I am working hard on that, but I don’t want folks to be surprised if it is not instantly better. Lots of parts are on order and already in stock, but a lot of machining remains to be done, stuffing boxes, packing and so forth. The assembled launchers take a lot more time, so we will keep on it till we get caught up. I see Elecraft is four months out on the new K3, so it may already be too late to order K3’s for Field Day…

Thanks & 73!

I have been testing a different trigger, and early results are excellent. The flow rate exceeds the standard trigger in dynamic bench testing. Launcher testing is still ahead, but these triggers have been used successfully on launchers before, so no difficulty is expected there. This posting is to help those who have been seeking triggers independently and provide some details.

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We heard today from a customer that there is a Launcher Video on YouTube.  Actually we found a couple of them when we visited the famous video website. This one is pretty good, it has great audio and describes the process of putting up the line for the antenna. The launcher is even hand pumped, so you can see how simple it can be.

YouTube Launcher Video