Topband: cheap radial wire?

[James Wolf]

I would add to the conversation that you must know what type of insulation is on the wire.  I picked up about 5000 ft. of 20 ga. wire at a hamfest and I used it to put down about 70 radials on my shunt fed tower.  I also used it for a dog fence.  About four years later, the dog fence wire started failing.  The insulation had gotten hard and would crack.  Once it cracked, I assume that the moisture in the ground along with the soil acidity dissolved the wire.   I don't know what the insulation was, but I had to completely re-do both the dog fence and the radial field.  I went with Teflon insulation 30 years ago and have not had a failure.
I've not heard of dog fence wire insulation failing, so there must be insulation on it that will endure the conditions in the ground.  

Jim - KR9U