[R-390] SWL antenna - field telephone wire.

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 8 Nov 2006 at 11:22, Transmaster wrote:

> Now I have a question;  Has anyone out there used field telephone wire
> for antenna wire? I am looking at this stuff it is cheap. the
> conductors are some kind of steel.

Unless the specs have been changed since I was in the Army in 1960, 
the wire is made up of a certain number of strands of steel and and a 
certain number of strands of tinned copper. The steel is to give it 
strength, and the copper is to lower the resistance.

The way we used to determine which of the strands were steel and 
which were copper when we wanted to make a splice was to strip about 
an inch of insulation off an end, then brush a finger across the tops of 
the wires: those that were copper would bend, while the steel ones 
wouldn't.

We would make our splices with the copper ones, as I remember it. I 
can't remember what we did with the steel ones. That was 40 years 
ago.

The copper solders easily, but the steel wires are "difficult".

>  It isn't the easiest stuff to work
> with but I have seen this stuff in the field that has been in use for
> decades. You can get this wire in mile long spools for a really cheap
> price.

It makes excellent, non-stretching, antenna wire, but is somewhat 
difficult to work with, as you say.

Ken W7EKB