I'm not sure what the metallurgy of the screw and bar would be like in
conjunction with solder. Of course the bar should be fine with copper
(and I think even with aluminum in alkaline soil environments), so if I
was hesitant about screwing down on multiple small wires (a valid
concern, I think) I'd probably solder the smaller wires to one larger
one to go into the bar. And of course I'd use lead free solder since
lead and moisture are bad bedfellows.
I probably wouldn't bury the bar underground because you never know what
corrosive effects might be there, but you can screw the connections so
tight that I'm pretty sure the metal to metal interface approaches that
of a weld. I don't think having it exposed to the elements above ground
would be a problem. I think maybe I'll give it a test. I'll cut a
couple of bars into sections with only two screws and make a series
string of connections with short pieces of wire, then bury the mess in
the ground. I might even do two strings, one buried in the local
alkaline soil and another in more acidic garden soil. I could do both
in large flower pots so I could keep the soils moist, and that would
make it easy to monitor the resistance over time as well.
73,
Dave AB7E
On 8/28/2018 5:29 AM, jimlux wrote:
On 8/27/18 11:37 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
I totally agree. I can't think of a single valid reason why a plate
is even a little bit better than simply a tie point at the base. I've
often wondered why folks don't simply use the addon bus bars for
electrical panels that you can buy at any Lowes or Home Depot. They
are relatively inexpensive, have screw connections, and make a fine
non-corroding contact. They can be daisy chained together for as
many radials as you have the ambition to put down. And if somebody
wants to be a purist about it, four of them arrayed in a square
around the base makes way more sense than a plate.
Indeed. The only hiccup I've encountered with that style of
connection is that they're designed to be inside a service panel or
equivalent, and protected from the elements. They're also designed for
fairly large diameter wire (i.e. 14 AWG or bigger). Most radials I've
seen mentioned are smaller diameter, and I'm not sure the screw/anvil
combination would make good contact with smaller wire. You could
probably shove a bunch of wires in one hole and crank down on the
screw, but I'd feel better with soldering them.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|