I'm designing a thingie that requires 20 to 24 ga 300 ohm flat antenna
wire. I find it's a real PITA to separate the ends of the wire, trim
that 1/4" of insulation out from between them, and strip the ends. Is
there a tool that simplifies this job? If so, what is it called and
where might I find it?

Thanks!

"Dhakala" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm designing a thingie that requires 20 to 24 ga 300 ohm flat antenna
wire. I find it's a real PITA to separate the ends of the wire, trim
that 1/4" of insulation out from between them, and strip the ends. Is
there a tool that simplifies this job? If so, what is it called and
where might I find it?

Thanks!

A good pair of scissors and a wire stripper

Dhakala wrote:
I'm designing a thingie that requires 20 to 24 ga 300 ohm flat antenna
wire. I find it's a real PITA to separate the ends of the wire, trim
that 1/4" of insulation out from between them, and strip the ends. Is
there a tool that simplifies this job? If so, what is it called and
where might I find it?

Use 300 ohm ladder-line (window-line). Remove the inside dielectric
with an Exacto knife and treat the remaining wires normally.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp


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I'm afraid scissors and wire stripper are what's taking so long. I'm
hoping to find something that will chop out 1-2" of flat insulation at
a pull of a lever or something, leaving the insulation-wrapped wires
ready for stripping.

Thanks for the advice. Why would it be easier to cut the insulation
from the inside of 300 ohm ladder-line wire than from flat antenna wire?

Dhakala wrote:
I'm afraid scissors and wire stripper are what's taking so long. I'm
hoping to find something that will chop out 1-2" of flat insulation at
a pull of a lever or something, leaving the insulation-wrapped wires
ready for stripping.

Forget the scissors and use an Exacto knife on the center insulation.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp


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Dhakala wrote:
Thanks for the advice. Why would it be easier to cut the insulation
from the inside of 300 ohm ladder-line wire than from flat antenna wire?

Because more than half has been chopped out already. You can cut
the ladder-line at a place where there's no center insulation and
have one inch wire tails needing only a wire stripper. If you
need longer wire tails than that, you only need to cut out about
1/4" of center insulation with an Exacto knife to achieve two inch
wire tails.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp


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On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 08:24:20 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:

Dhakala wrote:
Thanks for the advice. Why would it be easier to cut the insulation
from the inside of 300 ohm ladder-line wire than from flat antenna wire?

Because more than half has been chopped out already. You can cut
the ladder-line at a place where there's no center insulation and
have one inch wire tails needing only a wire stripper. If you
need longer wire tails than that, you only need to cut out about
1/4" of center insulation with an Exacto knife to achieve two inch
wire tails.

I have an Exacto knife, but find a no. 199 Stanley box cutter, with
its bigger blade, a good tool for something like this. Either way, it
only takes a couple of seconds...

THere's probably a special stripper for 300-ohm line, but it probably
costs a pretty penny, too.

Bob
k5qwg

Thanks, Cecil. Now that I've seen a pic of ladder-line I know what you
mean. Two short, lengthwise cuts and I'm done! :-)

Thanks for the box cutter suggestion, Bob!

Perhaps I can fashion a metal stamp for this sort of thing. Just a
U-shaped piece of lawn mower blade or something like that. A good whack
with a mallet would cut out an appropriate chunk neatly and
consistently. But I'll use the box cutter and ladder-line until volume
gets really heavy.