Topband: Inv-L joy

[Shoppa, Tim]

I use RF Connection "Polystealth 18" in the trees and bushes at the edge of my lot. Very lightweight. 117 pounds breaking strength, way stronger than your Cat 5. It is stranded copper-clad steel with a fairly thick and robust and low-friction/slippery polyethylene jacket and is very flexible and really deals well with going around tree trunks and over limbs and deer running into the wires etc.

I think the same stuff is sold by a different name by other ham vendors, e.g. I think Wireman 532 is the same stuff.

The copper plating on the this stuff is quite easy to solder to. The 18 gauge stuff is easily tied in knots etc. if you don't want to solder loops at the end, I have use this in experiments to make it easy to change antenna length.

There is also a 13-gauge variant if you really think you want heavy duty stuff. I have a 130-foot doublet made out of the 13 gauge stuff that has been up for many years now; it is kept tensioned with a pulley and a gallon of sand. I way overengineered that, it would have done just fine with the 18 gauge stuff. You could probably lift a car with the 13 gauge stuff.

Tim N3QE

-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bruce
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 12:29 PM
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: Inv-L joy


 Any suggestion as to a good rugged wire? Gary

 WD-1A military field phone wire is strong, lightweght and very
 inexpensive.  It is available on E-bay.   ___Herb______________



I used WD-1A for one, two direction Beverage antenna along a "neighbor sensitive" boundry. Did not want insulators showing, so just ran it through the dense tree line with no insulators. Thought it may last a year, but three years later it still works fine.

www.qsl.net/k1fz/beveragenotes.html

73
Bruce-K1FZ

 

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Topband Reflector