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#19
October 7th 06, 07:05 AM
posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
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Why is copper better than steel for wire antenna?
Tony VE6MVP wrote: On Sat, 07 Oct 2006 03:25:03 GMT, wrote: Antenna wire would be one of the lowest cost elements of a complete system, which questions the cost effectiveness of savings. Sure, but clothesline wire is easily available in this small town. Copper wire means I'd have to search it out in the nearest big city. Tony All the wire antennas I've built for the last 20 years or so have been made out of electrical wire from the local home improvement store. They alway seem to outlive my interest in them. Just standard household electrical wiring? So purchase some two wire (actually three wire if you include the ground wire) electrical cable and use the black and white wires? Will the insulation withstand the out doors? Not any of the multi-conductor household electrical wire ("Romex"), find a spool of insulated #14 single-conductor "household wire" at any decent neighborhood hardware store. Here in the southern provinces it's called "#14 THHN" which comes in both solid and stranded types and in a multitude of colors. I prefer stranded wire because it's less prone to bending fatigue failure than is solid wire. Theoretically If push comes to shove dial up a local electrician and ask where he gets the stuff. Personally I wouldn't string the wire thru bare screw eyes, I'd use the Radio Shack catalog number 15-853 screwin insulated "TV cable standoffs" to support it. Or do you strip off the insulation and use them bare? Leave the insulation alone, might get ugly after awhile but it lasts forever out in the elements and has no discernable effect on the performance of the wire as an HF loop antenna material. Tony Brian w3rv |
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