[Lowfer] Wire Choice

[Lyle Koehler]

My own preference is to use the brute-force approach of #14 house wire.
(It's also about the cheapest stuff available.) However, if size and weight
are a consideration, a smaller wire size will give adequate Q except for
really good installations where ground losses don't dominate. Silver-plated
wire might offer a 5 or 10 per cent advantage over plain copper. I don't
believe Teflon-insulated stranded wire is significantly poorer than solid
wire, but (except for Litz wire) there is no advantage in using stranded
wire for a loading coil. Bare stranded wire will deteriorate faster than
solid wire because of exposure to weather, simply because of the increased
surface area. I sometimes use the bare "Flexweave" wire for antennas despite
the weathering problem, because of its non-kinking property and because it
is less likely to fatigue and break due to flexing in the wind. Just don't
try to solder the stuff after it has been out in the weather for any length
of time.

Check the farm section of the local Farm and Fleet store (around here there
is a chain called Fleet Farm, where you can buy almost anything you really
need). Fleet Farm carries 3/8 inch diameter by 48 inch long fiberglass
electric fence posts, and last time I checked they were 69 cents each.

Lyle, K0LR