I just bought a quarter mile of bare solid Al electric fencing wire for
elevated radials, 13 gauge for about $55 for 1320ft. It is available in
11.5 to 18 gauge, check Amazon and ag supply stores. The good USA made
wire is available at 38,000 psi tensile strength, so is as strong as
soft drawn galvanized steel. It should last a long time in the air for
open line or elevated radials, buried radial life depends a lot on soil
chemistry. End connections can be made with Al/Cu compatible terminals
and I add some Al compatible conductive grease for insurance, eg
Noalox. The electrical panel multi-screw grounding strips are good for
connecting radials to grounding plates, as noted by others.
Grant KZ1W
On 12/5/2012 11:11 AM, Rick Karlquist wrote:
Frank wrote:
Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
#4? Is that a typo? Seems a little bodacious for open wire line.
Weight should be okay since it is aluminum.
No. I originally had the shack 1000 feet from the low
band vertical. It's nice to have 0.1 dB loss over 1000 feet
of line on 160 meters. They don't really sell aluminum much
smaller than #4. The light weight is great for suspending
it. I have been extremely pleased with this line.
BTW, 5 inch spacing gives me 450 ohms. You have to account
for the XHHW insulation. Adds about an inch to the spacing
vs bare wire.
Rick N6RK
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
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
|