>On 20 Aug 2006 at 18:45, DOUGLAS SNOWDEN wrote:
>
>> I am putting up a vertical for 40m. Yes, I know, but this is all I can put
>> up at the moment. I was thinking that I could use a few of those bus
>>connections like a circuit breaker panel has. You slide the wire in ans
>>tighten the screw. Seems like it would be a whole lot quicker than other
>>methods. Are there other methods like that you guys have used?
>>
>I use a copper or aluminum plate with stainless steel 2-3 inch #8 or 10
>hardware. I then use some of the larger solder/crimp lugs. I try to
>insert as many radial wires in each lug as possible. Seems to work
>real well and is not expensive or difficult to use.
>
I am doing something very similar. The method comes from having much
more time to think about the job (while traveling) than time to actually
do it. It also rains a lot here, so it's important to do as much prep
work as possible indoors, and to make all connections permanent and
waterproof. All that led to the idea of grouping several wires into one
lug.
8 is a handy number for radial work, and with the insulated stranded
wire that I'm using, 8 stripped ends will twist together and just fit
into a "code blue" crimp lug. These are crimped with a proper ratchet
tool, and the end of the hole nearest the lug is filled with solder
(mainly for waterproofing).
All 8 wires obviously won't fit inside the rear of the lug, so some bare
stranded wire is showing. This is flooded with hot-melt glue (squirted
first into the middle of the cone of wires, and then more added around
the outside) and immediately followed by heat-shrink tubing over the
top. When it has all set, the 8 wires are solidly bonded together and
the only bare metal is the ring of the lug itself.
At the other ends of the radials, the cut ends are sealed with hot-melt
glue to prevent water getting in.
The 8-radial assemblies can be made in the workshop, and with a bit of
practice I could get a good rate going. The only weak point is the
solder lug (if I could have found thicker lugs, I'd have used them) so
don't pull on the lug when straightening the radial wires - anchor the
whole thing with a peg in the ground.
It's still "work in progress" but the idea is working out well.
--
73 from Ian GM3SEK
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