[PVRCNC] ground radials

[Guy Olinger]

Hmm.  I went googling at "electric fence wire".  Apparently the term is not particularly descriptive as to technical wire makeup, and the actual constitution varies all over the map. Also I would NOT trust labels on spools. Take a wire cutter and a scraping knife and VERIFY what the stuff is. Manufacturers don't give a flying c***p as long as they get paid and p****d retail customers can't get back at them. The cheeper the stuff is the worse it gets.

If it is steel, plated or not, and 17 gauge, it will rust eventually. If it is entirely aluminum, there will need to be a non-electrolytic transition to copper at some point, and 17 gauge aluminum is very hard to solder, will need entirely mechanical connections.

I once owned a house wired with aluminum, which caused endless problems (copper shortage in late sixties when house was built). I lived in it for 17 years and ALL the heavy current stuff was eventually ripped out and replaced with copper. That in spite of none of the corrosion/breakdown points being out in the weather. Walls torn up, re-sheetrocked, repainted, etc, etc. Outlets would quit working if used a lot, and the answer was always pull outlet out of box and retighten the screws holding down the wire. If I'd known what I eventually knew and was the original buyer, I would have gladly paid the hefty premium to wire the house in copper. It cost me well over double that eventually with all the trouble to boot. So nobody will ever get me enthused about aluminum wire in antennas.

What the frustrated owner of a broadcast station would do after having his radial field dug up three times is probably not technically optimum (don't they use 8 or 10 gauge?), and likely not the best recommendation to a ham unless he expects the same degree of vandalism.

You certainly could expect to prove out a radial concept by burying steel, but expect the results to decay.

Guy

K2AV/Cynic-in-Cary/Apoplectic-in-Apex/Not-Convinced-in-North-Carolina

-----Original Message-----
From: Kent Winrich [mailto:kwinrich at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 4:19 PM
To: Guy Olinger
Cc: Tom; pvrcnc
Subject: Re: [PVRCNC] ground radials

Broadcasters use it as replacement, especially when the copper has
been ripped up for the 3rd time.

On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 4:13 PM, Guy Olinger <Guy.Olinger at sas.com> wrote:
> Go onto contesting.com and do a search in the archives for the topband reflector.  I recall that there was something about electric fence wire that made it unsuitable for burying or laying on the ground. Electrolysis or something.
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: pvrcnc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:pvrcnc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kent Winrich
>  Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 2:03 PM
>  To: Tom
>  Cc: pvrcnc
>  Subject: Re: [PVRCNC] ground radials
>
>  Home Depot, Tractor Supply or Lowes.  Look for Electric fence wire.
>  Can be bought in 1/4 MILE lengths.
>
>  Kent
>  K9EZ/4/lid/b0zo
>  Fuquay-Varina, NC
>
>
>
>
>  On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 1:47 PM, Tom <n4tl2 at earthlink.net> wrote:
>  > WIRE
>  >
>  > Anyone know of a place where I can buy wire at a low cost for ground radials?
>  > Maybe surplus wire from the electric company?
>  >
>  > Tom, N4TL
>  >
>  >
>  >
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