[R-390] Copper clad/copperweld ant. wire

[Dan Merz]

Hi,  I'm homing in on using #18 copper clad steel wire for my new 390 wire
antenna to achieve a long span with small sag low on the roof.  Does anyone
know if the genuine "copperweld" wire is worth the extra cost,  seemingly
about 4 times as much,   as some other 30% (conductivity?) copper-clad
varieties available as antenna wire for less money.  The two sources I've
identified are Wireman and Davis RF.  It seems that the proprietary
copperweld has been around forever but cladding steel wire with copper
should not be rocket science.  It would be nice to know if the cheaper stuff
would hold up for a while though.  It may not take much of a coating to
achieve 30% conductivity and I'm wondering whether anyone has had the
cheaper stuff up for a while and knows whether it's worth putting up.  Our
climate is very dry here in eastern WA so corrosion won't be rampant.   Dan.