[R-390] Antenna wire

[mikea]

On Tue, Nov 21, 2006 at 08:56:20PM -0700, Transmaster wrote:

> On 11/21/06, Bernard nicholson <vk2abn at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> > I have found that the best WIRE for antennas is galvanised iron
> > fencing wire ! People worry about resistance ect but when you
> > have very little current flowing resistance isn't a problem ,
> > even when used as a transmit antenna the difference in radiation
> > efficiency over copper is around 4% in Db terms this needs pretty
> > good instrumentation to measure, When one looks at commercial
> > antenna suppliers one finds that their range of wire antennas such
> > as Broadband deltas and logperiodic arrays ect. come in three
> > versions , HARD DRAWN COPPER , GALVANISED IRON AND STAINLESS
> > STEEL, the last being for corrosive areas by the Sea , 8 gauge
> > fencing wire is cheap and doesn't stretch , I have a 160 meter
> > dipole at 90 ft between a couple of big trees its a 280Ft span
> > and I have nearly half a ton of tension on it its been up there
> > with no trouble since 1991 , I regularly hear and work the US
> > from Australia on 160 using this antenna , On the subject if
> > insulators They are sold here in Australia in Farm Produce stores
> > for Electric fences both ceramic and High impact plastic ,they are
> > very good and very cheap , The galvanised iron is a bit harder
> > to solder to but with a hot 300Watt iron not too difficult , You
> > need a nice big pair of Electricians pliers to handle it and you
> > need to make sure you don't kink it , That's about it ,Not rocket
> > science , Regards to all Bernie Nicholson Vk2abn

> Well I once loaded up a ten mile long stretch of barbed wire fence.
> It was amazing I was miles away from any power lines. I had a King
> Kong signal despite the fact the top fence wire was about 4 feet off
> of the ground.

Out in the sticks southwest of where I live, a friend has a 2-mile 
straight-line stretch of decommissioned Rural Electric Co-Op power
line. At least he _says_ it's decommissioned. If I had some way to 
make *Absolutely* *Sure* that it was cold and would *stay* cold, I'd 
be willing to try it as an antenna. That's a big piece'o'wire. 

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin