Topband: Fw: Deterring Critters was:Re: How Good is Good Enough?

[Bill Wichers]

That material that looks like superman's zip cord is known as "Rural C"
drop wire. My book says that comes in 18.5 gauge (yes, half a gauge!)
which is RUS standard #PE-7 spec #4295, 14 and 12 gauge (AWG)
configurations which is "Bell System Type" spec #4283. It lists it as
30% copper CCS wire with a HDPE jacket. Tough stuff. I'm looking in my
General Cable catalog and it shows the minimum length as 1,000 feet so
it isn't unrealistic to order this stuff if you have a lot of runs to
put in.

This stuff used to be the standard telephone drop cable used in rural
and suburban areas and it is *strong*. The newer cable is a few 24 AWG
twisted pairs with a glass fiber support strand and overall PVC jacket.
I know the telco guys replace the old cable periodically with the new
stuff (like when someone orders a second line or fancy DSL service that
needs the twisted pairs) so it might be worth calling the local telco
service yard to see if you can get their old scraps if you want to keep
it cheap.

  -Bill

> The stuff the telephone company uses for drops here is 2 x #18
> copperweld with very thick insulation (not sure what material). It
> is made like zip cord and is easily separated into two single
> insulated conductors. It can sometimes be had for free if you look
> around. 25 years ago I used the stuff to make my first BOG. It was
> cut in several places by neighborhood kids, but when cleaning up my
> property and laying radials 2 years ago I pulled up the sections of
> it. There had been no critter damage over the years.
> 
> Paul
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