[TowerTalk] Aluminum antenna wire

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

I've used CopperWeld, but after a year through the seasons, much of the 
copper was gone, to be replaced by surface rust.  I doubt Al coated 
steel would do as well.  Solder connections on my C3i antennas 50, 144, 
and 44 MHz lasted about 6 to 8 years. They were still working 
electrically (more or less), but I had never checked them with the VNA.  
SWR was still good.  What solder was left was fragile and would crumble 
with a little pressure between thumb and forefinger. It only took a 
little pressure from one finger to pull the connections apart.  That 
wire is well away from any sort of soil and the roads here are all paved.

Whether we have a lot of acid rain?  I don't know, but with the 
prevailing winds mostly from 240 degrees, it's a good distance to any 
manufacturing  (100 plus miles)  Chicago and Gary, Ind are roughly on 
that heading at something like 200 miles (give or take 10)  Otherwise 
it's mainly flatland farming country.

The only nearby manufacturing is in Midland (Dow Chemical and Dow 
Corning, close but to here ESE at roughly 8 mile. Hemlock Semiconductor 
is about 20 miles just slightly E of due S. and Saginaw which was 
Automotive manufacturing.  Flint is also at SSE at 60 miles, but the 
wind is rarely S to SE, or even SE.

73

Roger (K8RI)



On 9/20/2015 12:05 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:49:04 -0400
> From: "w1eqo at shaysnet.com" <w1eqo at shaysnet.com>
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Aluminum antenna wire
> Message-ID: <380-22015951815494801 at M2W111.mail2web.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> I have used many types of Copperweld in my consulting business. A couple of
> times I have called their engineering staff about products.
>
> One time I asked about the aluminum on steel product, which I believe was
> called "aluminumweld." (Not to be confused with aluminum arc-welding wire)
>
> I was told if the wire was used on ground or buried I would have dust in a
> year or two.
>
>
> Jim, W1EQO
>
> ## The stuff F12 used yrs ago for LL  was called  alumoweld.  Works superb, but
> in that case, its way up in the air and used for LL.   The 12 ga stuff is rated at 1100 lbs
> breaking strength.   The 10 ga version is good for   aprx  1450-1500 lbs.  Its extremely strong
> stuff, and works good.  But you have to be careful how you terminate it, etc, as it has a mind of its
> own, and difficult to work with...just like copper clad steel.  Don’t let any of the alumoweld get near the ground
> or laying on the ground etc.   But if u plan on using alumoweld, u may as well use copperclad steel,  same strength,
> but at least you can solder to it etc.   F12 use alumoweld, since it interfaced with the AL  standoffs that were bolted to the
> al tubing.
>
> ##  These days I would not mess with LL, just use high Q coils, or T bar capacity hats, etc.
>
> Jim  VE7RF
>
>


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