Topband: 450 ohms ladder line

[Guy Olinger, K2AV]

The high end 450 window line from Wireman (and others?) is a stranded
copper-clad variety that is quite flexible.

They sell a copperweld solid #18, which is as you describe it (#551),
but also sell three other types #18, #16, and #14,(#552-554) where the
16 or 19 stranded conductors are each copper-clad steel. I find these
to be quite flexible, irritatingly so for some applications where some
stiffness would be useful. So I keep a bit of both types around.

For 300 ohms (#562) there is a stranded copper-clad window line as
well. This also is quite flexible.

One does not have to scale to smaller conductors just because it is
being used for receive. Physical suitability for the application is
far more important.

73 & GL, Guy.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Garry Shapiro" <garry at ni6t.com>
To: "Jacques RAMBAUD" <f6bki at wanadoo.fr>; <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 5:51 PM
Subject: RE: Topband: 450 ohms ladder line


> Jacques:
>
> I don't think Beverage construction is out-of-topic at all---quite
the
> contrary!
>
> The most commonly available "ladder" line is the "450 ohm" window
line. But
> this line has single copperweld wires--high tensile strength but not
very
> tolerant of bending or kinking. However, both 450 ohm and 300 ohm
window
> line are available from the usual suppliers in stranded versions
which are
> easier to handle, etc. I use the narrower 300 ohm type for my
two-wire
> Beverages, because it is lighter. All that is required to use 300
ohm