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Re: Topband: Radial Wire

To: <garyk9gs@wi.rr.com>, <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Radial Wire
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Reply-to: Tom W8JI <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 22:35:48 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Thank you very much for this source. I was just looking this week for wire prices. I want to buy quite a lot for next summer's antenna project.

The nice thing is he's close enough I'll probably pick it up and save shipping.

BTW...any thoughts on solid vs stranded? I do like to use insulated wire as I think it lasts longer. I was thinking 16 or 18 ga.

When I did AM broadcast work, we would pull solid wire out of all sorts of stations built in the 1920's and 30's in all types of soil. Unless it was actually cut, it would be good.

In my own Ham stuff, I primarily use #16 bare copper bus (which is soft drawn) wire. It lasts longer than I ever keep a house unless physically cut. If I pull some up after several years in the ground, it just barely shows light surface corrosion.

I install mine with a plow on a tractor. I can pull a six inch deep radial, or any depth I want, at a few MPH. I have never broken a #16 wire pulling it into the ground. I have never seen one fail from lightning.

I personally would stay away from stranded copper, and would especially stay away from aluminum, steel, or steel cored wire (watch what you buy). Any solid copper #16 or larger, especially soft drawn, will last a lot longer than most of use ever will. I would not be afraid of anything solid copper and #16 or larger size.

If you never plan on long term direct soil exposure, never plan on soldering it later for an alteration or repair without doing a lot of cleaning work, and never plan on silver soldering, stranded copper is also OK. I use stranded insulated #14 on my 40M 4 square stuff because it is surface wire. The aluminum wire I installed several years ago on that system is falling apart, but the insulated stranded copper is still good.
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