#14, stranded
 

Hi, Everybody,

No. 14 stranded copper dulls and oxidizes badly after a couple of years
up in the air.

Does this have any effect on the RF resistance?

Thank you and regards,

Al W6LX

No significant amount. Certainly not enough to measurably reduce the
efficiency of an antenna, with the possible exception of an antenna with
extremely large currents, like a small loop or possibly a close-spaced W8JK.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Al Lorona wrote:
Hi, Everybody,

No. 14 stranded copper dulls and oxidizes badly after a couple of years
up in the air.

Does this have any effect on the RF resistance?

Thank you and regards,

Al W6LX

Roy Lewallen wrote:

No significant amount.

Great! Thanks, Roy. I have always wondered about this, because it's not
intuitive to me. Eventually, every single strand becomes oxidized over
it's entire circumference and length, and that would seem to affect the
RF conductivity at the surfaces, but apparently not nearly enough to
worry about it.

This is good, because #14 stranded is my preferred wire. Paranoia had
led me to use #14 solid enameled the last time I put up an antenna, but
it's not as compliant, of course.

Thanks again,

Al W6LX