[TowerTalk] staples for radials

Bill Coleman aa4lr at arrl.net
Wed Jun 28 23:04:51 EDT 2006


On Jun 26, 2006, at 12:35 AM, mryan001 wrote:

> If you have a surplus of steel coat hangers around, they are CHEAP  
> and easy
> to use....just cut off the ends.  They make good staples for  
> keeping radials
> down.

Might there be a problem using steel staples over copper wire? Isn't  
there an opportunity for dissimilar metal corrosion?

Sure, if the copper wire is insulated with a plastic insulator, it  
won't make any difference, but my first radials used a cloth-covered  
wire that I found surplus, so I ended up making staples out of the  
same copper wire.

I built a jig that takes about 5 inches of wire to produce a staple  
about 2.5 inches long. You can make a dozen or so in minute or two. I  
end up using one about every 3-4 feet along a radial to hold it down.  
The staple only has to work long enough for the grass to grow over it.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901



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