Emptied "tin" cans have been used by resourceful builders for eons. Some
decades ago, in a "73" magazine was an article about using the original, tin
plated steel beer cans for antenna construction. The tin plate really took
to soldering, and so........ the "beer can vertical" evolved. Mine was a
quarter wave vertical ground plane for the newly opened 15 meter band.
Emptying the required number of beer cans was a formidable task, but someone
had to do it. With my homebrew 2E26 final running almost 20 watts, plate
blushing dull red on long dashes, that old beer can vertical worked all
continents in one hour one afternoon....... while contemplating a 40 meter
version.
Old Chief Lynn, W7LTQ