[Milsurplus] Antenna wire

[Bob Camp]

Hi

Oddly enough, If you called up the Navy in WWII and asked “what do we use to put up this antenna you want on on this building”. 18 gauge phosphor bronze was indeed the official reply. Thirty years later the maintenance guys still used the same stuff to keep that antenna up there.  

It’s pretty rigid stuff (at least at 18 AWG).

Bob

> On Sep 29, 2023, at 9:34 AM, Paul Thekan <pfthekan at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Jim
> Mike beat me to it with identifying the wire as phosphor bronze..I was just getting my tea then.
> I think Jim your thinking of the reel of that wire as used on the 'Gibson Girl' SCR 578 survival radio that was used on aircraft during WW2 and beyond.  I think it was 20 gauge or smaller and used to attach to a balloon or kite to get it aloft.
> 
>  The antenna company  I had worked for TCI used this wire on all their portable field antennas and of course a heavier gauge stranded wire . I'm guessing a more tempered wire than what Mike had used .
>   I have a " field portable' wire Rhombic 2 -30 mhz antenna and 90 ft of aluminum tower that  I got from them and it uses this wire. 
> 
> Ive found it makes great antenna wire for portable use .
> 
> Good luck on your project
> Paul
> N6FEG 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 5:49 AM Michael Hanz <aaf-radio-1 at aafradio.org <mailto:aaf-radio-1 at aafradio.org>> wrote:
>> I seem to recall Radio Shack selling this type of "antenna wire", which is perhaps more properly called "phosphor bronze".  I have never found a record of any such wire used with aircraft equipment (my peculiar interest) back in the HF days.  The roll of Radio Shack stuff started sagging almost immediately every time I tried to use it, which is why I quickly shifted to the Copperweld type that the Services used.  The link below mentions that the "...electrical conductivity of phosphor bronze is about 15% that of pure copper."  That may or may not be of any interest to you.
>> 
>> https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/metals-metal-products/all-about-phosphor-bronze-strength-properties-and-uses/
>> 
>> Good luck,
>> - Mike  KC4TOS
>> 
>> On 9/29/2023 4:33 AM, Jim Pruitt wrote:
>>> Can someone tell me what the antenna wire is called that is milsurplus and as often obtained on fly fishing rods.  It was military antenna wire and was about #22awg I think (might have been as big as #18 but no bigger).  It is/was a bronzed copper woven copper stranded wire.  I posted the same question on another list but was told to use copperweld (I hate that stuff) or to buy some stainless steel wire (even worse).  The wire I am looking for is for temporary portable operation as a dipole or two or three.  Yes I could just buy a couple rolls of insulated wire to make this antenna but had some of the bronzed wire in the past and it would be ideal for the operation I have planned.
>>> 
>>> Thank you.
>>> 
>>> Jim Pruitt
>> 
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Milsurplus mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net <mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
>> 
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net <http://www.qsl.net/>
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> Milsurplus mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/milsurplus/attachments/20230929/22322b86/attachment-0001.html>