[GreenKeys] OT. Antenna materials

[Jeffrey D Angus]

On 11/30/2013 5:10 PM, gil wrote:
> Hey folks.  Question about making a dipole for 2m.  Does
> the conductor diameter matter?
To an extent, yes, but it's NOT that critical. Larger diameter
elements mean slightly wider bandwidth.
> I have seen everything from 1/2 inch copper pipe to steel
> music wire.
I've built J-poles with 1/2" copper pipe. Motorola uses stainless
steel for their 1/4-wave whip antennas. I've built a lot of "Cheap
and dirty" 1/4-wave ground planes using 14-12 copper wire.

The 1/4-wave ground plane at the house is made with 1/4"
aluminum rod. As is the 11 element yagi for 440 MHz.
> If you do want some thickness, I presume pipe is fine as it
> should mostly be skin-effect current.
Yes, but again, that isn't as critical as some would claim.
> Does the material matter (copper vs steel vs alum)?
Copper is good. Aluminum is cheap and light weight. Steel,
except stainless, is a waste of time.

Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi