[TowerTalk] Wire antenna in trees? (Patrick Greenlee) (Kelly Taylor)

[Paul Plants]

You can buy harddrawn copper, was used in mining applications.

Paul
W3PLP
Sent from my iPhone 6 plus

> On Aug 6, 2017, at 2:40 PM, Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
> 
> The problem with using ordinary copper wire for antennas where the wire is under tension is that it stretches. Mine high dipoles are under about 100# of tension (up 140 ft, fed with RG11), so every few years, I have to let down my 80/40 dipole that's built with #10 THHN stranded and circumcise it to keep it on frequency. I've since migrated to using #8 bare solid copper that I've stretched by tying one end to a tree and the other end to the trailer mount of my SUV and pulling slowly until it breaks.  The result is close to being hard drawn, roughly AWG #9, and about 15% longer. Antennas that I've built with this seem not to stretch.  Over the years, W6GJB and I have done this with at least 2,000 ft of #8.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
> 
>> On 8/6/2017 10:44 AM, Clay Autery wrote:
>> Correct...  THHN is not intended for use as exterior antenna wire, but
>> it surely does work well...  I can get it in any color I want and in a
>> 2500+ foot spool, et al.
> 
> 
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