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Re: [TowerTalk] Heliax question

To: <dj7ww@t-online.de>, "'Stan Stockton'" <wa5rtg@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Heliax question
From: "Jeff DePolo" <jd0@broadsci.com>
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 2024 08:39:07 -0400
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
> I never saw 7/8" Heliax or Cellflex with solid inner conductor.

Several older 7/8" Heliax-type cables had solid center conductors, with 
Cablewave probably being the most common back in the 70's.  I still have 
connectors for it if that's what it turns out to be.  Rather than a thread-in 
or push-in center conductor contact as used with the tubular center conductor 
on modern 7/8 cables, it had a center conductor assembly that made contact with 
the outside of the center conductor.  Cleaning the dielectric off the center 
conductor properly to prep for this type of connector wasn't fun.  Unlike 
modern 7/8" cables, the shield and center conductor weren't cut off flush with 
each other, the center had to protrude by maybe 3/8" (it's been a while, don't 
quote me on that).

There was also a lot of Prodelin 7/8" cable that floated around on the surplus 
market in the 1980's.  It, too, had a solid center conductor.  It had, by far, 
the toughest outer jacket of any Heliax-style cable I've ever had the 
displeasure of working with.  It was bonded to the shield and tough as hell.  

To help identify what you have, a few more questions:

1.  Is the outer conductor corrugation helical ("spiral") or annular ("rings")?

2.  What is the measured OD of the outer conductor at the peaks?

3.  What is the measured OD of the inner conductor?

4.  Is the inner conductor solid copper or copper-clad aluminum?

5.  Confirming - the outer conductor is copper, not aluminum,correct?

                                        --- Jeff WN3A



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