Topband: Re insulated vs:bare radial wires/Chicke Wire

[Dan Edward Dba East edwards]

thats interesting.
 
i remember what W2FMI (recent SK) said a LONG time ago (Rest in Peace)
(i bet he's laying out radials upstairs....and using lossless components now)
 
regarding galvanized steel for radials, something like
 
"unless the material are free and your time is worth nothing, DONT DO IT..."
 
something about rusted steel being worse than nothing.
 
i know some guys over desert sand like chicken wire, and have thought about here
for a limited real estate application. with our acidic soil in east texas, i'd bet 
chicken wire would be a pile of rust in just a few months...too bad they dont
make the stuff out of copper...
 
73, w5xz, dan, longview texas
 
 

--- On Sat, 12/5/09, Thomas F. Giella NZ4O <nz4o at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:


From: Thomas F. Giella NZ4O <nz4o at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Topband: Re insulated vs:bare radial wires/Chicke Wire
To: "a Topband COL" <topband at contesting.com>
Date: Saturday, December 5, 2009, 2:42 PM


I've always used #12-14 stranded double covered house wire for ground 
radials as it's very durable. It held up well under frost heaving in 
Colorado. I put my first set of radials down using this type of wire for a 
160 meter inverted L in 1989 and the wires are still there!

BTW I have a 574 page e-book published in 1952 called Radio Antenna 
Engineering. It covers LF/MF and HF antennas. I downloaded it for free at 
http://www.lulu.com/content/159004. It says that putting down chicken wire 
type mesh under the vertical is not good due to some sort of RF 
cancellation.

73 & GUD DX,
Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O
Lakeland, FL, USA
nz4o at arrl.net

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_______________________________________________
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