On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 03:25:47 GMT, Active8
wrote:

In article vKBWa.20717$KF1.308575@amstwist00, lid says...
Paul Burridge wrote:
Hi chaps,

Can anyone suggest a suitable material from which to make an
ultra-flexible mobile whip antenna say about 3 to 4 feet long. I need
something that can be bent to 90 degrees at a very small radius and
still return to reasonable straightness.

I think thin piano wire will give the best results. Place a lot of them
in a flexible tube to gain some thickness and have them silvered for
conductivity - or add a stranded copper wire.

Spring metal strip may also work, especially if you can manage some type
of hinge at the base that allows it to turn when sideways force is
exerted, or if the force is in one plane.


Thomas

what is a tight bend? music wire comes in diff sizes and the number in
the tube and how tightly the tube conforms to it will have an effect on
the flexibility.

Yeah, sorry chaps, I should have better defined what I meant by 'very
small radius'. I compete in radio-controlled model battles, so the
model stands to get fipped upside down from time to time in a very
bruising environment and it already has a very low ground-clearance,
so using a spring as a base mounting won't help much, I'm afraid.
We're talking about radiuses of as little as 5mm! How about the
specific grade of stainless steel in wire form that springs are made
from? I know where I can get hold of some of that....
--

"I believe history will be kind to me, since I intend
to write it." - Winston Churchill