1/4 mile for $30 is reasonable and would work well for radials.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acorn-International-EFW1714-1-4-Mile-17-Gauge-Galvanized-Fence-Wire/152465194663?epid=4017419194&hash=item237fa23ea7:g:xOMAAOSw4A5YwFca
Herb, KV4FZ
On Wed, Sep 5, 2018 at 2:00 PM Herbert Schoenbohm <
herbert.schoenbohm@gmail.com> wrote:
> For a cheap solution for radials is to use buried galvanized barbed wire.
> It is available for pennies a foot. A preferred way of putting it in is to
> use a is a Ditch Witch with a vibrating plow attachment that allows the
> wire to buried with limited handling. Depending on the soil consistency it
> will be long-lasting. My sons with metal detectors have unearthed barbed
> wire that was of a style used 50 years ago by local farmers. In Puerto Rico
> AM stations have lost entire copper fields by poachers who sent it off to
> Rep Dom by containers to be sent by the pound. They have used the
> galvanized fence wire successfully.
>
> Herb, KV4FZ
>
> On Wed, Sep 5, 2018 at 1:13 PM JC <n4is@n4is.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Guys
>>
>> Stay away from aluminum, the aluminum oxide dielectric is a terrible
>> complication around 2 MHz, it become a capacitor and a diode and will
>> generate a lot of noise in presence RF currents.
>>
>> There is no way to avoid the diodes at the connection with different
>> materials, like at the ground plate. When these electrical junctions are
>> very well they will work well for few months, than the noise will start
>> around Sunset when the RF field from AM BC are more intense, the RF will be
>> there, even if you are far from BC station, the propagation peak is near
>> Sunset.
>>
>> Galvanic corrosion and diode formation is inevitable. Same problem is
>> very common on rotor, mast and tower contacts originating birds on 1810,
>> 1820 and every 10 KHz, most of this signals are originate on your own
>> tower. Just grounding the with a solid contact with the tower can kill a
>> lot of noise.
>>
>> I've seen several situation of aluminum joints becoming a strong noise
>> source. The same joints are not a problem on 80 or 40m, the issue is just
>> around 2 MHz
>>
>> Save yourself a lot of problems, aluminum an 160m antennas are not a good
>> combination.
>>
>> 73's
>> JC
>> N4IS
>>
>>
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>>
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