[TowerTalk] Grey PVC Loading Coil

[Don Havlicek]

Why not use copper tubing which is available at those 'despot' type stores?
Copper is much easier to work with [and solder taps where needed] than 
aluminum.
Don
N8DE

Keith Dutson wrote:

>Why not make the coil from small aluminum tubing without leaving the form in
>place?  It would be easy to adjust.
>
>73, Keith NM5G
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
>[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Dan Zimmerman N3OX
>Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 10:42 AM
>To: towertalk at contesting.com
>Subject: [TowerTalk] Grey PVC Loading Coil
>
>In the spirit of "some antenna is better than no antenna at all," I'm going
>to add a base loading coil to for 160m to my 40 foot vertical
>(http://www.n3ox.net/projects/lowbandvert).
>
>I know it's a substantial compromise over other forms of loading, but I'm
>willing to accept the efficiency penalty for convenience in this particular
>case.  What I want to know about is whether or not grey PVC electrical
>conduit is suitable for coil forms at 1.8MHz.  I searched the archives and
>found a discussion on PVC formers for HF and that they're not unacceptable
>unless you're running many close-spaced turns, but I wonder if people have
>tried grey vs. white and what they've found.  I know the microwave trick is
>routinely used but I don't think absorption at 2.4GHz says much about the MF
>properties of the material.
>
>I've got access to some 5" conduit and a lathe; a few minutes and I can have
>a beautiful coil form like the 80m one on the page above, but I wonder if
>the grey PVC is lossier than the white stuff?
>
>There are plenty of other approaches, but if grey PVC is decent at 1.8MHz,
>I'm just going to cut a nice  groove in it and go.  It's going to be
>something like 20-30 turns of #10 wire and having a grooved form makes for a
>quick and solid coil.
>
>73,
>Dan
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