Owen Duffy wrote:
Irv Finkleman wrote in :
Is a copper to copper contact always necessary in
an antenna or does solder provide the necessary
continuity when joining wire?
Are you really asking are conductors other than copper (eg solder) are
suitable for antennas? I think you know the answer to that.
No -- everything will be copper to copper.
I note you excluded mechanical integrity, nevertheless...
I suggest you not depend solely on solder for retention of wires. One
day, your antenna conductors might be called upon to carry high current
(eg lightning), and it might be better if the solder didn't just melt and
allow the wires to fall apart.
There will be no mechanical strain on the wires. They will be connected
to a common ring of copper surrounding the base of the connected.
In some ways, you might as well just twist the wires together. Some wire
nuts come with a water+air exclusing medium (grease), but otherwise they
are not a lot different to twisting the wires together except they may
introduce another metal (in the case of the ones with a metallic spring
inside) to the contact mix. Twisting wires together might be more
successfull for power applications where there is sufficient voltage to
overcome an oxide layer, for RF receive I would use solder or terminals
that apply considerable pressure to the joined wires.
This is for a radial system, and I basically operate QRP or in a tough
fight might run 50w! I'll will consider a water/air excluding grease
if I use wire nuts - thanks for the tip!
Remember that oxided wire connections can cause havoc with receivers and
transmitters, the non-linear joint causing harmonic generation and
mixing.
Oh yeah! Been there before! :-)
Owen
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Irv Finkleman,
Grampa/Ex-Navy/Old Fart/Ham Radio VE6BP
Calgary, Alberta, Canada