DIYbanter - radio aerial (antenna) won't stay in position

Richard Crowley wrote:
"john zeiss" wrote ...
We have a small portable sony radio, and it has the usual type of
extendable aerial (antenna) that you get on small japanese radios.

It now refuses to maintain its position at an *angle*. Slowly but surely
it drops down until it reaches the horizontal position.

The small screw has been tightened up, but even as tight as we think we
can
do it without stripping the slots in the screw head, it is not enough to
*clamp* the aerial to stop it dropping down.

Basically the aerial at its base is a square shape with one small bronze
coloured washer each side of it and that all sits in a ' U ' shaped base
with it all being clamped with a small screw.

Are there any tricks you know of, to get it to behave? Thanks.

1) Remove the screw and drill out the threads. Replace with an
appropriate size screw, washer, and nut. Or use a smaller screw
and you don't have to drill out the existing threads.

2) If the radio is used in a fixed position, get a cliplead (piece of wire
with an alligator clip on the end) and clip it onto the (collapsed) radio
antenna. You could attach the wire to the furniture/cabinet to reduce
its visible impact.

IME, it is not practical to try to find an exact mechanical replacement
because those assemblies tend to be custom designs for each model
of radio equipment.

Another trick, depending on how the swivel is constructed, would be to
take a hammer and smash the radio to bits...... hold on, too much coffee
this morning.

Take that hammer, and maybe a nail, brace the swivel against a solid
object, and tap the other side until the swivel stiffens up a bit. It's
a temporary improvement, as the swivel will loosen again over time, but
if it's loosened anyhow, it doesn't make much difference.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -