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Re: [TowerTalk] How to solder aluminum braid coax cable ?

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] How to solder aluminum braid coax cable ?
From: "XV4Y (Yan)" <xv4y@nature-mekong.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:33:34 +0700
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Hi Roger,

Thanks for your answer.
I've not studied their topology in details.
What I've seen is that the drops were in RG-6 (going for up to 200m in some 
cases) and the bus (not sure about the main trunk) is using this 1/2 inch 
chinese cable.

In opposite to the specs I read on the chinese website, center conductor is Cu 
coated Al.
As you noted, it breaks very very easily.
It can still be good for my usage, but I will have to take great care handling 
the cable even connecting/disconnecting the PL can break the center conductor 
as the cable is not flexible.
Yesterday I soldered a PL on it and tried to do some measurements and that's 
what happened!

73,
Yan.
---
Yannick DEVOS - XV4Y
http://xv4y.radioclub.asia/
http://varc.radioclub.asia/

> Le 17 janv. 2015 à 00:00, towertalk-request@contesting.com a écrit :
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 10:29:34 -0500
> From: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] How to solder aluminum braid coax cable ?
> Message-ID: <54B92E5E.7000502@tm.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
> 
> They had RG-6 size cable between poles?  Around here it is 3/4" between 
> poles.  The drops are RG-6 size with foil plus braid shield.  Like most 
> RG-6 size they use copper plated steel for the center conductor.  When 
> running trunks they use huge 1000' spools of 3/4".  A few were dropped, 
> denting the outer layer.  (they threw them away) I had a 1000' spool, 
> minus maybe 100 feet.  It is a solid Al shield, no PVC jacket. The 
> center conductor is larger than 1/8th inch (Never measured it ), Copper 
> plated Aluminum.  Virtually all companies in Mid Michigan areas us 3/4", 
> bare Al for trunks.   It's far more rugged than the half inch which 
> kinks easily.
> 
> For many years I used the 3/4 inch for long runs.  Tower and antennas 
> were over 300 feet from the house.  Out of the original spool, I used a 
> lot, gave away a lot, and still have a few hundred feet left.
> 
> The less than 100% shield has little to do with power and a lot to do 
> with signal leakage both in and out.  I think most RG-6 size is "rated 
> the legal limit up through 10 MHz with a 1:1 SWR.  I don't think I'd 
> trust it at that power level for long.  OTOH, I've run the legal limit 
> through 8X up through 40 meters and a "reasonable SWR < 1.3:1 with no 
> problems,  I tried CNT250, which is good coax, but it is nor nearly as 
> flexible with the solid center conductor compared to the multi-strand 
> Copper center conductor of 8X.  The center conductor kept breaking in 
> the wind on the feed lines to the center fed, half wave, 40 M sloping 
> dipoles.  I've had no failures using 8X with a foil plus braid shield.  
> It's very flexible and sturdy
> 
> 73
> 
> Roger (K8RI)

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