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Soldering and Antennas
On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:12:03 GMT, Irv Finkleman
wrote: Is a copper to copper contact always necessary in an antenna or does solder provide the necessary continuity when joining wire? Hi Irv, In the Navy, I taught (per the syllabus) that you made a gas-tight electrical connection between conductors and sealed it with solder. Solder was not expected to maintain the electrical or mechanical connection. An example would be a Western Union Splice, then flowed with solder. I am disregarding the special case of magnetic loops where RsubA must be kept low. I am also disregarding the matter of mechanical integrity. That pretty much conforms to what I say above. However, having said that, Lead, Tin and other alloys are usually good conductors when used in suitable quantity (or with sufficient surface area). There is nothing wrong with a soldered joint in a magnetic loop, although a soldered loop can easily be done poorly. There are other issues of weathering of solder, and galvanic reactions. This argues sealing the solder with rubber or synthetic coating, and/or examining the metals involved. This is usually a rare issue to be concerned about. In my case I am looking at soldering radials to a piece of copper wire at the base of an antenna, and also adding a bit of length to the radiating element. What about the use of wire nuts to join wires? They enforce the gas-tight connection and preserve the seal of that interface through spring force, but usually in a dry environment (I suppose you can find weather proof versions). The antenna is an HF marconi in an inverted-L configuration. Thanks for any advice on the matter. Irv VE6BP 73's Richard Clark, KB7QHC |
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