[CQ-Contest] Vertical Radial wire: Copper vs. Aluminum?

[Joe]

You can get both, shop around. It is a special made Alum, it's made to 
be strong when being Pulled,  IE: long electric fence, But one 
caution,,  while it is STRONG while being pulled, it is very brittle 
when being flexed around tight bends. When using it I never have had to 
have any wire cutters with me. simple sharp bends with the fingers and 
three or four bends and it's broke.  But I you make the antenna so it 
doesn't have sharp bends like this the stuff is crazy strong.

I had a 600 foot loop up in pine trees up 40 to 50 feet, and a storm 
came through and I noticed the antenna was down in one corner.

The wire did not break,, the antenna broke off the top 3 feet of the tree!

Joe WB9SBD
Sig
The Original Rolling Ball Clock
Idle Tyme
Idle-Tyme.com
http://www.idle-tyme.com
On 6/17/2013 10:11 PM, Gerry Treas K8GT wrote:
> I thought that electric fence wire was galvanized steel not aluminum.
>
> Lot of Topband guys use it for beverages.
>
> Please correct me if I'm wrong.
>
> 73, Gerry, K8GT
>
>
> On 2013-06-17 15:05, David Gilbert wrote:
>>
>> As a generalization, I would expect that aluminum in alkaline soil is 
>> OK, while acidic soil probably eats it up fairly quickly.  The 
>> southwest tends to be fairly dry and alkaline, while areas with more 
>> moisture and more organic debris in the soil tend to be more acidic.  
>> I can stick almost anything in the ground at my Arizona QTH and have 
>> it last for decades, while I certainly could not say the same where I 
>> grew up in Minnesota.
>>
>> 73,
>> Dave   AB7E
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 6/17/2013 7:57 AM, Joe wrote:
>>> Either would work just fine electrically,,
>>>
>>> BUT.........
>>>
>>> There always is a but isn't there.......
>>>
>>> Check your soil,,,, how do pop cans survive in your location.
>>>
>>> I use that ALUM wire for all my in the air antennas. But I can not 
>>> Bury it.
>>>
>>> The soil here eats it up alive.  A pop can even with it's paint on 
>>> the outside and coating on the inside if buried here in like 6 
>>> months it's almost gone.
>>>
>>> So that might be a problem.
>>>
>>> I had some of that super heavy ALUM ground wire stuff. I mean like 
>>> 1/4" thick stuff? In less than two or three years it was gone. I had 
>>> it buried from an old TV antenna install.
>>>
>>> Joe WB9SBD
>>> Sig
>>> The Original Rolling Ball Clock
>>> Idle Tyme
>>> Idle-Tyme.com
>>> http://www.idle-tyme.com
>>> On 6/16/2013 10:59 AM, Robert Shohet wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I noticed an ad in this weeks Tractor Supply co. flyer of 14 ga and 
>>>> 17 ga electric fence wire
>>>>
>>>> 1/2 mile 17 ga for $24.99
>>>> 1/2 mile 14 ga for $49.99
>>>>
>>>> 1) Is there any advantage in the efficiency of radiation for a 
>>>> vertical between using
>>>> Copper vs. Aluminum wire?
>>>>
>>>> 2) Are there any mechanical or other advantages of using Copper vs. 
>>>> Aluminum?
>>>>
>>>> 3) Is 17 ga wire thick enough or should the 14 ga be used?
>>>>
>>>> I am interested in the radials lasting – the difference in cost is 
>>>> immaterial to me.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Please advise.  Tnx & 73
>>>>
>>>> Happy father’s Day!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Bob KQ2M
>>>>
>>>> kq2m at kq2m.com
>>>>
>>>> www.rlsfinancialgroup.com
>>>>
>>>> www.kq2m.com
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>>>
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