Topband: Wire size at base of 160M inverted L

[DHomerick at neo.rr.com]

Pete,
      Use a double pole relay (DPDT) .  Attach your in & out connections to 
the stationary
contacts. Put a shorting bar across the center or movable contacts. 
Increasing
the voltage rating and what ever size wire fitting the stationary contacts.
This is from Bill Orr Handbook and used too switch VHF RF.

Dennis, w8nw

I'm wiring up a relay to be used to open the feedpoint of my 160M
inverted L. My intention is to have it connect the feedpoint to the
transmitter when the relay is activated by PTT and open the circuit on
receive.  I will be running 1500 watts.

My question is this how heavy does the wire need to be between the
antenna side of my common mode choke and the relay, or between the relay
and the feedpoint? The relay is rated at 16 amperes continuous, 30 amps
switching.  I've been told that current rather than voltage is the issue
at the base of a quarter-wave.  My normal instinct would be to use
something like No.12 or 14 wire, but the terminals on the relay are
roughly the diameter of #18 wire, and the center conductor of the common
mode choke (wound with RG-400) is similarly small, so would the heavy
wire be overkill?


-- 

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
at <http://reversebeacon.net>, now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

_________________
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector