On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 11:21:01 -0400, Jim Jarvis wrote:
>The #14 PE insulated superflex
What is "superflex?" Do you mean "flexweave?" I tried some #12 on
several antennas, and it broke in less than a year on all of them.
I'm a firm believer in POC -- plain ordinary copper -- that I buy
from my local hardware or electrical supply store. Antennas that
must withstand big stress are #10 solid, the rest are #12 solid.
Another important thing I learned (the hard way) is to never put
solder where it will stress or move. Put the stress on unsoldered
lengths of wire, then loop the wire over to where you're going to
solder it (or otherwise secure the connection). Yes, it adds some
inductance. So what -- it simply adds to the length of the antenna,
so you cut it slightly shorter.
If you want to be stealthier, use black insulation or bare copper.
Stranded wire corrodes faster. If you must use stranded wire, use
very good insulation on it, and pay careful attention both to the
stress you place on the ends and the protection of exposed ends from
corrosion.
73,
Jim Brown K9YC
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|