The ERI LPX2E Rototiller FM antenna

This was in the back room of one of the radio stations we work for:

It is a burned-out ERI LPX2E antenna.  The manager was complaining that it took up too much space and he didn’t know what to do with it.  Could I get rid of it?  Sure, no problem.  I could at least cut it up and scrap it.

When I first looked at it, it seemed complete and undamaged, however, upon further examination it seemed that some of the inter-bay line had overheated and one of the tuning sections that goes from the power divider out to the bay was missing.  Therefore, I took it apart and separated the copper from the brass.  Most of the antenna is made from yellow brass, due to its hardness.  The inner line sections are copper and the mounting hardware is all stainless steel.  I will perhaps break even time-wise, but it is one of those projects that can be done on my time in between other paid work, so it will be fine.

I am going to keep one bay intact with the RADOMES on as some sort of modern art project.  My daughter thinks we should install it in the yard as a part of a fountain-fish pond-bird bath contraption.  The idea is to mount the bay facing up as in the picture above and run a hose up the inside of the transmission line to the T section.  A hole will be drilled there and some type of fountain head installed to spray water up over the RADOME.   The system will be run by a solar-powered pond pump.  I’ll have to take pictures when it is done.