Hi Jim,
Thanks for your suggestions. I did not realize that Copperweld could break if
it gets kinked. Good to know.
Regarding the copper split-bolt connectors, I assume that you use some type of
anti-oxidant, maybe SS-30, at the connection?
Maybe you are thinking about Mastrant rope being sold at Visalia? It is a
Slovak company. I purchased quite a bit of Mastrant rope for these types of
antennas at Visalia last year. Everyone I've talked to has a good impression of
their rope. We will be using the Mastrant 8mm rope through snatch blocks on the
towers.
73, Rich, N6KT
On Saturday, June 27, 2020, 12:33:25 PM PDT, Jim Brown
<jim@audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
On 6/27/2020 8:53 AM, Máximo EA1DDO_HK1H wrote:
> For wire antennas best is the wire called "Copperweld" or "DX Wire".
> It is a hard steel core surrounded by thick copper, then insulation.
> It gets the mechanical strength from steel, no stretching, and the copper
> conductivity.
I really dislike Copperweld. I find it miserable to work with, and any
kinks can cause it to break. W6GJB hung an 80M dipole using it high in
redwoods from pulleys he had paid tree climbers >$1k to install. It
broke a few days later, and he got to pay the climbers again to restring
the ropes.
My favorite antenna wire for strength is #8 bare copper that I've
stretched to approximate hard drawn #9. Very strong, doesn't stretch.
On 6/27/2020 8:49 AM, Richard Smith wrote:
> Are there any concerns about the use of HD copper wire, such as
tendency for kinks, or other mechanical concerns?
I first did the stretching describe above around 2004 at the suggestion
of WA6NMF. More recently, W6GJB and I have built a half dozen or so
antennas with this stretched wire. We've had no failures, and have
observed no problems unique to it. As with any wire that will see
vibration and moisture, soldering is a bad idea. I've used nothing but
copper split-bolt connectors, two per side spaced several inches (the
second is for mechanical strength). At ends we use egg insulators, with
the wire making a single loop through the insulator with 6-12 inches
looped back onto itself and clamped with two U-clamps. As with any
rigging of wire that will move, connections between the feedline and the
dipole are made with relatively loose loops that place no stress on the
connections or the looped wires.
Note that we're rigging for dipoles rigged at 100-130 ft in redwoods,
fed with RG11, with a 100# weight on one end support rope and the other
end tied down. The primary stresses in your installation are probably
wind on the wires themselves.
We use 7/16" rope from Synthetic Textiles, not for its strength, but to
give our hands something to grab when pulling tension on it. I switched
to this rope from 5/16-in, which suffered wear where it went through
badly rigged pulleys. It's also plenty strong enough for our
installations in tall trees. For your installation, 1/8-in or 3/16-in is
probably just fine.
There was a German vendor at Visalia last year who was selling what
looked like extremely rugged antenna rope. If I hadn't just bought 2,000
ft of the 7/16-in stuff, I would have thought seriously about using it
instead.
Another thought about your rigging. I suggest that both of your support
ropes be rigged with weights to reduce stress on the rope and the wires
in storms.
73, Jim K9YC
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