It will work but certainly will degrade faster than larger gauge wire. All
wire will degrade over time.
Radials can be put out pretty fast, actually, if you use a good system. W0UN's
system presented at the Dayton Antenna Forum some years back impressed me. Get
your tape measure and lay out a perimeter with wooden stakes, from the vertical
base to the length you want the radials to go. The stakes don't have to go in
the ground far; theyre just temporary.
Get your spool of wire and go from the vertical base, out to around a stake,
over to the next nearest stake, then back to the vertical base. He also made a
figure-eight "jig" out of wood at the vertical base, just to run the wire back
over when he reached the vertical base again with the spool of wire. No need
to clip the wire into individual radial wires; it can all be a continuous piece
of wire and it works the same. I believe he used landscaping (sod)
tacks/staples to attach the wire to the ground "here and there," and pulled the
perimeter stakes out when done.
Radials don't have to be sliced into the ground; they can lay on top and the
grass/thatch draws them down within a year or two, etc. You wouldn't want to
mow close or rake, and probably not run livestock on the ground either.
73 - Rich, KE3Q
----- Original Message -----
From: Stan Stockton
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 9:27 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Radial Wire Size
I am sure this discussion has been had before, However, I am putting up a 4
Square for 80M. I have available a huge supply of #18 copper wire with
enamel (magnet wire) and could probably put down as many as 100 radials
under each element if I had the desire to put that many down. Of course I
would rather be using a larger gauge but the question is whether these
radials would desintegrate over a period of a few years or decade and
whether that or other considerations would make me want to change to a
larger wire size. Although I LOVE antenna work, I don't think I want to go
through the exercise of laying down about 300 radials more than once.
Stan, K5GO
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
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_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
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