Highland Ham ) writes:
I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!


Define "large". Which part of Canada?

In Toronto I'd start with Active Surplus. In Vancouver, RP.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal,
Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!"
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce

===========================
On some if not most european continental amateur radio fleamarkets
cut-offs up to 1x1 ft are often sold by weight.
I have a healthy stock enabling me to also homebrew enclosures.

Is this material not available from surplus traders frequenting North
American hamfests & fleamarkets ?


Frank KN6WH / GM0CSZ

That's the sort of answer I would have given, but I wondered if it
was a trick question.

"Large area" suggests something really big, but if someone isn't
familiar with what is available, then "large" might mean something
more than a few inches.

In 35 years, I've never bought blank circuit board new. Starting
with wretched board that cracked when you cut it and the copper came
off when you soldered to it (but it was "surplus" and cheap at
Etco Electronics back then), and then buying it at hamfests, and
then the remaining old school electronic store here in Montreal (Addison
Electronics), blank circuit board of all kinds of thickness and sizes
and single or double sided has always been readily available.

You're right, it can usually be had so cheap that it is a great thing
to use for enclosures. Unlike plastic, it's can provide shielding, but
it's also a lot easier to work than equivalent thickness metal. I've
been known to strip off the copper and use the bare board when I need
to make up some mechanical gadget, it being so easy to work with.

Addison often has board that has been drilled for some production work,
but not etched (or even had resist applied), which is even cheaper. I
can cut around it for small pieces, or if I'm just using the board for
soldering to, the holes aren't even noticed.

For the original poster, the Radio Amateurs of Canada have a website
at http://www.rac.ca and they keep a list of upcoming hamfests, so it's
easy to watch for one coming up nearby. Though, it's really the off
season and I doubt there will be many until the spring.

Michael VE2BVW