[TowerTalk] wire for radials

[Jon Zaimes AA1K]

To: "(Reflector) TowerTalk" <<mailto:towertalk%40contesting.com>towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Wire for Radials
From: "Jerry Keller" <<mailto:k3bz%40arrl.net>k3bz at arrl.net>
Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 16:37:10 -0400
List-post: <<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>

I've come into possession of a spool of several thousand feet of solid #24 bare 
copper wire. Can I use it for radials? What power level could I run with it? 
73,  Jerry K3BZ
_______________________________________________


Hi Jerry,

I had 200 radials under a shunt-fed tower for 160m at my Bear, Del., QTH in the '80s. The radial wire was a mix of whatever I could scrounge up -- insulated, bare, enameled, old CATV RG6, etc., with sizes from no. 12 to no. 26. A good number of them were no. 24 or no. 26. 

I buried each radial by stretching it taught and then cutting a slit alongside, an inch or so deep, with a spade, then went along with a screwdriver and pushed the wire into the slit.

They survived for the 10 years we were at that QTH, and for about half of that time we had a horse pastured in the radial area with no ill effects on the radials.

I ran up to 1500 watts into this antenna.

73/Jon AA1K