Topband: 160M wire

[N2TK, Tony]

It hasn’t been easy to keep up a 160M inv vee at WP2Z, especially around the
hurricane season. Because of the awkward setup we have with a mast clamped
to the existing 40M beam mast to increase height of the center of the inv
vee, It sure makes for awkward footwork on the top of the tower. I don’t
want to use heavy wire that might pull over the mast. So far tinned,
stranded #16 teflon coated wire seems to last a year or so. This past season
the wire inside the Teflon coating broke, but the outer covering held up the
antenna. Guess the Teflon coating is strong. The tinning seems to keep the
wire from corroding. The sun or salt doesn’t seem to affect the Teflon
coating
I wouldn’t think copperweld would hold up with the salt environment?
Any recommendations or do you think the teflon wire is the best way to go?
If it is, do you know where I can buy it? I don’t know where the piece that
is at WP2Z came from.
The inv vee is only at 45’. It’s abive the 402CD which is at 30’ (still can’
t the owner to let us go higher with the towers). Do you think there would
be a benefit in adding a balun at the feedpoint? If so, what works for 160M
that is lightweight and won’t corrode in the salt air environment? If it can
’t be lightweight, it would be easy to add just about anything about 15’
down from the feedpoint.

By the way what we do on 160 to fix this problem I would like to apply on
the other tower for “almost” topband – 80M. I need a non-corroding way to be
able to change from CW to SSB lengths. Was thinking of using stainless steel
hardware with wing nuts and solder a lug on the CW wire extension on each
end of the inv vee. The present #14 stranded insulated copper wire corrodes
where we change lengths. Thought the tinned stranded wire would be better go
for this too.

Tnx for any feedback.
N2TK, Tony