JimMike 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
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
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