At 05:15 AM 3/20/98 -0600, T A RUSSELL wrote:
>"The next best source I'm aware of is electric fence wire, available at
>farm
>suppliers such as Tractor Service Co or Quality Farm and Fleet. It costs
>about $25.00 for a half mile. I've never used it. I think it's
>galvanized,
>so should stand burial OK. Aluminum will not. It will be attacked and
>destroyed by chemical reactions in the soil." .....N9DX
>
>AU CONTRAIR !
>
>I once used galvanized electric fence wire for a radial field, held
>down
>with bobby pins. In three years the wire was heavily rusted and in five
>years
>it was mostly gone.
>
>On The Other Hand, at a previous location, I used ALUMINUM welding wire
>for radials for several years and they were still intact when I pulled
>them up
>to move to the country. I too had been told that the local soil would
>attack
>the aluminum. Obviously it survived quite well, as do my bare aluminum
>CATV lines in shallow open trenches to my distant towers. ALUMINUM
>electric fence wire is now available at several farm supply outlets and
>even places like Home Depot.
>
>de Tom N4KG
How do you achieve good all-weather connections with the aluminum wire?
Clearly, there must be a way, since the electric fence folks do it, but
after all the stories about high-resistance connections in aluminum house
wiring I'm leery of what happens when the aluminum oxidizes. I'm about to
string my first beverage, which, granted, will be above ground, but I have
plans as well for an extensive radial field under my tower when I get
around to shunt feeding it.
Thanks!
73,
Pete N4ZR
In Wild Wonderful, fairly rare WEST Virginia
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