Best wire for long wire antenna
 

On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:49:08 GMT, "JERD"
wrote:

I am getting back to the HF bands after some 20 years 'rest'. What is the
best type of wire to use for long wire antennas? The wire will be under some
tension to keep it above some local trees!
++++++++++
I have had reasonable success with aircraft control wire. Strong and
reliable. Here is one source

http://www.airsuppliers.com/Aircraft...WIRE_CABLE.htm

Best wire for long wire antenna
 

On Nov 16, 2:01 am, Roy Lewallen wrote:
"Best" has a number of different definitions depending on the particular
situation. If you want wire that'll never stretch or break and will take
a lot of tension, Copperweld is hard to beat. It's springy and a
nuisance to work with, though.

There are many sources of non-Copperweld-brand stranded copper-clad-
steel wires from the ham retailers, e.g. www.therfc.com, www.thewireman.com,
etc. It's a joy to use and handles more like aircraft cable than solid
springs.

Some insist it has to really be Copperweld brand to be good but my
standards aren't so high. Besides Copperweld-brand stuff seems to be
conspicuously out of stock at all the ham retail shops, and when I
inquire about it they tell me that they don't ever expect to get it
again.

Tim.

Best wire for long wire antenna
 

"Tim Shoppa" wrote in message
...
Some insist it has to really be Copperweld brand to be good but my
standards aren't so high. Besides Copperweld-brand stuff seems to be
conspicuously out of stock at all the ham retail shops, and when I
inquire about it they tell me that they don't ever expect to get it
again.

Tim.

You should be able to get it he

http://thewireman.com/antennap.html

I just use what I can find. Usually some # 14 or #12 insulated stranded
wire. Mostly free from where I work. When some of the older construction
is removed there is lots of wire that would be thrown away that has been in
conduit in the building for 10 to 30 years.

Once it is up in the air there is no best wire (as long as it is copper) as
far as the signal goes. If you could measuer to the tenth of a db, there
may be. The main thing is will it stand up to the weather.

Best wire for long wire antenna
 

Tim Shoppa wrote:
. . .
Some insist it has to really be Copperweld brand to be good but my
standards aren't so high. Besides Copperweld-brand stuff seems to be
conspicuously out of stock at all the ham retail shops, and when I
inquire about it they tell me that they don't ever expect to get it
again.

My recommendation of Copperweld by brand was made only because it's a
known quantity. I'm sure there are other brands which are just as good.
But I'll bet there are others with a skimpy copper plating, or cladding
that might be thin enough to allow current in the steel, particularly on
the lower bands.

You need to be more cautious using stranded copper clad steel wire than
solid wire. Even though the copper might be equally thick in terms of
wire diameter, smaller diameter individual conductor strands mean a
thinner coating in absolute terms. The only time I've actually had a
problem was with RG-174 sized coax, where the loss was much higher than
expected on the lower bands because of the very small center conductor
strands, and I think the conductor was genuine Copperweld. But a
combination of small strands and less-than-Copperweld thickness might be
enough to result in considerable extra loss in some antenna sized wire.

The great majority of amateurs wouldn't notice the few dB of extra loss,
and in fact are likely to think highly of the extra bandwidth the loss
would bring. (One was presented in QST years ago, the author apparently
unaware that the secret of the broad bandwidth was the loss of the
chosen wire type.) So this phenomenon isn't necessarily bad. But some
folks might benefit from knowing about it.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Best wire for long wire antenna
 

Roy Lewallen wrote:
"My recommendation of Copperweld by brand was made only because it is a
known quantity."

I`ll second that! Copperweld was the only manufacturer or vendor my
college allowed to present a tutorial on their product. It was an annual
affair. The faculty obviously thought very highly of the product or was
impressed by the quality of the meals they bought.

I`ve used literally tons of Copperweld wire of many sizes and twists and
attest to its durability in antennas and transmission lines. We put it
together with Nicopress compression fittings.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

Best wire for long wire antenna
 

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