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[TowerTalk] Choice of Antenna Wire for Multi-Element 80 Meter Yagi on a

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Choice of Antenna Wire for Multi-Element 80 Meter Yagi on a Catenary
From: Richard Smith <n6kt1@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2020 15:49:32 +0000 (UTC)
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
 Hello TowerTalkers,
The team at PJ4K is planning to put up a 4-element wire yagi on 80 Meters with 
Inverted-Vee type elements. It will be supported by a rope catenary between two 
towers, at about 100' off the ground. In choosing the wire for the elements, 
there is a trade-off between strength and weight of the wire. Currently, I'm 
looking at Hard-Drawn copper wire as the wire choice, but I don't have 
experience with it. Are there any concerns about the use of HD copper wire, 
such as tendency for kinks, or other mechanical concerns?                       
   
I'm considering #14, #16, and #18 HD copper wire for the elements. I figured 
out the approximate weights of wire for a 4 element 80 meter yagi:              
     
4 elements of  #14   copper wire weighs  about  6.2 lbs   Breaking strength is 
213 lbs                 

4 elements of  #16  copper wire weighs  about  3.9 lbs   Breaking strength is 
135 lbs                 

4 elements of  #18   copper wire weighs  about  2.5 lbs   Breaking strength is 
85 lbs                 

I'm thinking that it's not just the dead weight of the wire to consider, but 
also the fact that lighter wire will require less tension to pull out the ends 
of the elements, to achieve about a 120 degree angle for the Inverted-Vee 
elements.                      
I'm interested in suggestions, especially from those who have tried similar 
antennas.
TNX and 73, Rich, N6KT

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