On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 09:12:36 -0400, JohnM wrote:

+Cliff wrote:
+ When making a quad for 11 meter work, I used 12gauge house wire. I
+ went and bought xx number of feet and stripped the insulation from it.
+ ONe does need to paint it to keep it from oxidizing though.
+
+
+Thanks all for the good stuff so far, my mistake in not specifying an
+antenna for a CB if that makes any difference.
+
+Cliff, if you've got a good electrical supply near you, you can buy bare
+copper by the foot.. If you get lucky they'll have magnet wire, all
+varnished and ready.
+
+John
******

John

Soft drawn copper wire as used for house wiring will have a tendency
to stretch. Antenna made with copper should be done with hard drawn
copper wire or a good quality copper cladded steel. These wires will
have less tendency to stretch over time.

Also if using cladded steel, you will need to protect the copper from
oxidizing. Once salt and moisture pit the copper cladding and get to
the steel, then you will have rust and potential degradation of the
antenna performance.

james