Electric fence wire is usually aluminum or galvanized steel.
If you just want something to experiment with under the expectation that it
need last only a few years, by all means use aluminum or galvanized or welding
wire.
On the other hand, if it's a permanent installation, bite the bullet and get
copper. Even if you're running QRO, you don't need anything heavy gauge as
long as you lay down enough radials. The current will be divided among them.
Even #22 or #24 magnet wire will work if you take enough care to protect it
from mechanical damage until it gets absorbed into the thatch.
One of the regular columnists in QST recently chastized the readership for
stereotyping hams as cheap. OK, except that there are a lot of cheap hams! If
you want to be "frugal", then you have to be resourceful. Look around and you
can probably find lots of CAT5 or J-K that's been ripped out of an office being
remodeled. That cable contains a useful amount of #24 copper wire that could
be repurposed, although at the cost of your time.
Or go buy a 1000' box of CAT5 cable at Lowe's for about $100. That will yield
8000 feet of #24 copper wire.
Al
AB2ZY
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of ROBERT HARMON
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 8:20 PM
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] low band antenna without good ground
Sounds like the .03 dia aluminum wire probably wouldn't last very long. I have
a bunch of rolls of copper coated mig wire for steel welding that is also .03
inches dia. Others that have tried this stuff found that it rusts very
quickly, what a shame you can get 1000 foot rolls of this stuff
pretty cheaply, sigh................. I read from other posts is that
electric fence wire works pretty well and is not that expensive either.
Bob
K6UJ
On Sep 29, 2011, at 5:21 PM, Al Kozakiewicz wrote:
> Radiation resistance will not drop, nor would you want it to! Ground losses
> will drop and so should the feedpoint impedance.
>
> The lifetime of buried aluminum depends on the pH of the soil. Usually, it
> isn't long.
>
> Al
> AB2ZY
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Alex K2BB
> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 8:15 PM
> To: Gene Smar
> Cc: ROBERT HARMON; <towertalk@contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] low band antenna without good ground
>
> I got a roll of aluminum welding wire, the one which is 0.03"...
> The plan is to lay down 30 radials 30-35 feet long to test how much radiation
> resistance drops.
> I am just wondering- how long that wire will last if I bury it? What about
> thicker wire used for electric fences?
>
> AM
>
> On Sep 29, 2011, at 19:39, "Gene Smar" <ersmar@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> Bob:
>>
>> Instead of a copper ground clamp (likely to cause corrosion at the
>> connection point due to dissimilar metals in contact in water), I'd
>> suggest using stainless steel bolts, lockwashers and nuts plus a pair
>> of fender washers (above and below the screen) wherever you wish to make a
>> connection.
>> Fender washers are exceptionally large in diameter as compared to
>> normal washer sizes for the particular diameter of bolt. They gather
>> a lot of metal in the connection area when applied.
>>
>>
>> 73 de
>> Gene Smar AD3F
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "ROBERT HARMON" <k6uj@pacbell.net>
>> To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:36 PM
>> Subject: [TowerTalk] low band antenna without good ground
>>
>>
>>> I have been gathering up materials for rolling out galvanized
>>> chicken wire for a ground screen from my vertical as discussed here
>>> recently. I'm trying to figure out how to make the electrical
>>> connection at the base of the vertical. Is there a nifty way to do it ?
>>> My first thought was to take the
>>> very end of each roll and squeeze it together into a bunch and
>>> attach a cooper clamp used for ground rods.
>>> How do you make your connection ?
>>>
>>> Bob
>>> K6UJ
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> TowerTalk mailing list
>>> TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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