To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?

I was taught many years ago that it was always
a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
them on both Ends in case any individual strands
should break.

+ Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.

* Also the claim is that the Solder & Iron/Steel/SS
'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
& Iron/Steel/SS.

? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?

=Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
-and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
'noise' on the Antenna Wire.

? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?

thinking about the things i do . . .
and the why of it all ~ RHF

RHF wrote:
To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?

I was taught many years ago that it was always
a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
them on both Ends in case any individual strands
should break.

+ Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.

* Also the claim is that the Solder& Iron/Steel/SS
'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
& Iron/Steel/SS.

? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?

=Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
-and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
'noise' on the Antenna Wire.

? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?

thinking about the things i do . . .
and the why of it all ~ RHF
.
Use a thimble and clamps to secure the wire mechanically to an
insulator. Then solder your 9:1 balun hot primary positive lead to the
antenna wire. You'll need still air, or a 100 Watt iron.

On Jun 12, 6:05*pm, dave wrote:
RHF wrote:
To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?

I was taught many years ago that it was always
a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
them on both Ends in case any individual strands
should break.

+ Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.

* Also the claim is that the Solder& *Iron/Steel/SS
'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
& *Iron/Steel/SS.

? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?

=Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
-and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
'noise' on the Antenna Wire.

? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?

thinking about the things i do . . .
and the why of it all ~ RHF
* .

Use a thimble and clamps to secure the wire mechanically to an
insulator. *Then solder your 9:1 balun hot primary positive lead to the
antenna wire. *You'll need still air, or a 100 Watt iron.

* * * Clarification * * *

Yes the Antenna Wire goes around {thru}
the End Insulator first.

It is the free "Tag" End that gets Soldered
and Secured to the Matching Transformer
Hardware or Wire; or to the Center Wire of
the Coax Cable.

Same on the Far-End the Antenna Wire goes
around {thru} the End Insulator first. Then the
free "Tag" End that gets Soldered about two
Inches back for 1/2" ~ 1" and the un-soldered
Tip Wires are spread-out to bleed-off the Static
[ESD]

Clearly Solid {Single Strand} Wire does not
need to be Soldered.

Most likely common 7-Strand {12-Strand}
Two Layers 1+7 -or- Two Layers 3+9
commercial Electrical Wires may or may not
need to be Soldered to get every Strand in
the Bundle 'connected' and working as one
"Bonded" Antenna Element.

But the 19-Strand commercial Electrical Wires
are usually Three Layers of 1+7+12 and not
all of the Wires may be 'connected' without
Soldering them all together at some point
{spot} on the Length to Electrically "Bond"
them as one Wire.

Now when using a Stranded Antenna Wire like
Flex-Weave with 168 Strands or 259 Strands
http://www.radio-ware.com/products/fw.htm
-imho- Soldering can help in getting each and
everyone of those 100+ Individual Stranded Wires
'connected' and working as one fully "Bonded"
Antenna Element.

~ RHF

In article 55bad1be-b465-474f-8575-a8bfe05b57d4@
11g2000prv.googlegroups.com, says...
To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?

I was taught many years ago that it was always
a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
them on both Ends in case any individual strands
should break.

I do that too.


+ Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.

* Also the claim is that the Solder & Iron/Steel/SS
'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
& Iron/Steel/SS.

I suppose so, but I never mix the two in the first place. I use ceramic
insulators and there is no electrical connection between copper and
steel/iron. I must be doing something right, the oldest one is still up,
even though the coax going to it has died of old age.


? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?

As far as I know, yes.


=Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
-and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
'noise' on the Antenna Wire.

Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.


? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?

Again, I've never heard of such a thing, and I've been SWL'ing for about
45 years.


thinking about the things i do . . .
and the why of it all ~ RHF
.

Nothing wrong with that.

--
BDK, non-jew leader of the non-existant jew paid shills!

"BDK" wrote in message
...
Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.

What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?

--

Brian Gregory. (In the UK)

To email me remove the letter vee.

On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
wrote in message
...
Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.

What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?


An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for
tail lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The
brake/indicator light filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25
Watts) so the bayonet typically has staggered locating pins. This
prevents the higher wattage rating being used as the tail light filament.

http://www.eziautoparts.com.au/light...or-globes.html

New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
arrays.

Krypsis

"Krypsis" wrote in message
u...
On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
wrote in message
...
Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.

What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?


An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for tail
lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The brake/indicator light
filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25 Watts) so the bayonet
typically has staggered locating pins. This prevents the higher wattage
rating being used as the tail light filament.

http://www.eziautoparts.com.au/light...or-globes.html

New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
arrays.

Krypsis

But that would most definitely not light from the static electricity induced
in an antenna wire on a stormy night and would shunt away much of the wanted
signal anyway.

So I think BDK must mean something else.

Either that or he's making it up as he goes.

--

Brian Gregory. (In the UK)

To email me remove the letter vee.

On Jun 13, 12:16*pm, "Brian Gregory [UK]" wrote:
"Krypsis" wrote in message

u...





On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
*wrote in message
...
Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.

What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?

An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for tail
lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The brake/indicator light
filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25 Watts) so the bayonet
typically has staggered locating pins. This prevents the higher wattage
rating being used as the tail light filament.

http://www.eziautoparts.com.au/light...l-and-indicato...

New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
arrays.

Krypsis

But that would most definitely not light from the static electricity induced
in an antenna wire on a stormy night and would shunt away much of the wanted
signal anyway.

So I think BDK must mean something else.

Either that or he's making it up as he goes.

Isn't that what most of us do with antennas? ;-)

In article ,
says...
"Krypsis" wrote in message
u...
On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
wrote in message
...
Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.

What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?


An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for tail
lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The brake/indicator light
filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25 Watts) so the bayonet
typically has staggered locating pins. This prevents the higher wattage
rating being used as the tail light filament.

http://www.eziautoparts.com.au/light...or-globes.html

New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
arrays.

Krypsis

But that would most definitely not light from the static electricity induced
in an antenna wire on a stormy night and would shunt away much of the wanted
signal anyway.

Wanna bet? And the signal loss was minimal on the huge antenna I used it
on. Actually, that was a bonus as the signal level on that antenna was
really too much for all my receivers. The local AMBC station was so
strong here anyway, I needed a BC killer filter plus 10 or 20DB
attenuation to keep from hearing it in the background all the time. I
was kind of happy when it came apart and I had to redo it, and I
basically cut it in half, size wise. I still had more than enough
antenna for ute listening. When I cut the size down, I went to the gas
discharge tube type arrestors, one for each receiver.


So I think BDK must mean something else.

Nope.


Either that or he's making it up as he goes.

Nope again, I got woke up several times when I forgot to flip the short
out switch before I went to bed. When it's really cold out, and the wind
blows, there's enough voltage to light up a bulb pretty brightly on
peaks. It had to be really cold, and really windy for it to light up. In
a lit up room, it wasn't very bright, but in the middle of the night, it
was hard to miss.

BTW, I didn't use any kind of matching transformer, I had no use for any
more signal strength than I had already with just a straight coax
hookup. I'm very close to a river and once the eclectic company replaced
the bad transformer that was driving me crazy for years, it's a pretty
quiet area, RF wise.

--
BDK, non-jew leader of the non-existant jew paid shills!

On Jun 13, 5:26*am, "Brian Gregory [UK]" wrote:
"BDK" wrote in message

...

Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.

What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?

--

Brian Gregory. (In the UK)

To email me remove the letter vee.

The 12 VDC Auto Tail Light Bulb has a Tungsten
Element which is a relatively High Resistance
and functions as a constant {always-on} bleed
resister to drain any static electricity before it
could build-up. Cheaper that a Resister and the
Mini-Coils of the Tungsten Element was way far
beyond the HF Band so it only functioned as a
Resister and not a Coil {Inductor} when used with
a SWL [HF] Antenna. ~ RHF

Never saw one of these 12 VDC Tail Light Bulbs
'glow' because they were constantly bleeding-off
the Static Electricity before it had a chance to
build-up -but- using a Neon NE-2 Bulb will 'glow'
if the Static Electricity does build-up to trigger it.
That is why using an NE-2 Neon Bulb by itself is
not recommended since it is designed to Fire
only after the Static is already built-up.

Using a NE-2 Neon Bulb with a Bleed Resister
is often done with the idea that the NE-2 is an
Overload 'fail-safe' should the Bleed Resister
fail of there is a not to distant Lightning Strike.

If you are already using a Matching Transformer
Balun/Unun with your SWL Antenna the the Bleed
Resister generally is not needed or required.

~ RHF