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Re: [TowerTalk] guage of wire for 500 watt antenna?

To: n8de@thepoint.net, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] guage of wire for 500 watt antenna?
From: Alan NV8A <nv8a@charter.net>
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2017 11:36:54 -0500
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I was quoting from a description of the NEC requirements rather than from the NEC itself, and you are correct: that description does not cover the situation where the antenna is exactly 150ft. long. Without checking, my guess is that the NEC in fact says "150ft. or longer."

I think it would be a mistake to ignore the NEC altogether, because an insurance company could use it against us in the case of a fire or injury or death caused by the collapse of an antenna "under power."

73

Alan NV8A

On 12/05/2017 11:09 AM, n8de@thepoint.net wrote:
I've never worried about any 'NEC regulation', but, now I'm confused.
What size is required for an antenna EXACTLY 150 feet long?   That's not addressed in your posting.
73
Don
N8DE


Quoting Alan NV8A <nv8a@charter.net>:

I know that this discussion started with a question about wire for an
antenna to be used in Belize, but people are reporting what they have
used in the US. Does anyone actually take note of the NEC (that other
NEC) requirements that even for an antenna shorter than 150ft., 14AWG
*hard-drawn* copper is required -- and 10AWG *hard-drawn* copper for
antennas longer than 150ft.?

73

Alan NV8A


On 12/03/2017 07:21 AM, john nistico wrote:
Gary 14 gauge will more then handle 500 watts. Tell me how much  wire you need and I'll donate it seeing I'm an electrician I have  plenty laying around

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 2, 2017, at 5:21 PM, Bob Shohet, KQ2M <kq2m@kq2m.com> wrote:

I would suggest that you buy the wire ( I would use gauge 14 solid  copper PVC coated THHN, readily available and reasonably priced at Lowe?s, Home Depot, etc.) and put up the antenna at your qth and see how it fares in Winter cndx. (I use either gauge 14 or gauge  12 for all the wire antennas at my qth).  If the antenna survives  then you know that you are ok.  If not, then you may want to go  with a heavier gauge.  Although there won?t be ice and snow in  Belize, there will be wind, rain and flying debris if it gets  windy enough and you want your wire to be strong enough to survive  without breaking.  You want the PVC coating on the wire to reduce  the effects of abrasion, corrosion by salt spray and to reduce the  rain noise on your antenna.

73

Bob  KQ2M

From: Gary Slagel via TowerTalk
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2017 5:00 PM
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] guage of wire for 500 watt antenna?


I'm hoping to get to Belize to work ARRL DX CW contest this year and I'd like to take my Elecraft KPA500/KAT500 and operate 500 watts. I will be at a friends house and not next to the ocean so I'm thinking of getting a doublet up in the air as far as I can on  a fiberglass pole, feeding with 450 ohm ribbon and tuning it on 10 thru 40 and maybe 80M. The fiberglass pole won't take too much weight so I'd like to go  as small as I can on the wire.   Any suggestions or input?
Thanks, Gary KT0A
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