[TowerTalk] Lightweight Antenna Wire For Portable Work?

[jimlux]

On 11/2/18 11:22 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 11/2/2018 5:56 AM, jimlux wrote:
>> You can get some "highly flexible" multistrand PTFE insulated wire 
>> that's quite small and "limp" in fairly small gauges (#24 or smaller)
> 
> Yes, and this is very nice wire. I'm using #12 for common mode chokes. 
> Look for this stuff on ebay. Not cheap, but worth it.
> 
> On 11/2/2018 6:32 AM, Jon Zaimes wrote:
> 
>> I use a 33 ft. fiberglass pole to support an end-fed half-wave dipole 
>> which
>> I use for portable work. The problem I'm having is that the pole bends
>> considerably under the weight of the 66 foot 14 gauge wire.
> Probably not as much as an inverted Vee. :)  We use a pair of these 
> poles mounted vertically to the top of an army surplus mast as a 40M 
> half wave dipole. Works great. I think we're also using #14.
>> I'd like to go with 28 gauge or smaller wire that can handle up to 20 
>> watts
>> and hold up well in the field and was wondering what the group 
>> recommends.
> 
> #18 - #22 is a good compromise between weight and loss.
> 

If you're using insulated wire, the insulation starts to be a big 
fraction of the size/weight, independent of the conductor size.
That is, AWG 22 and AWG26 aren't much different in "outer diameter" size.

I think PTFE tends to be thinner than PVC or PE, for average hookup 
wire. (and it doesn't melt as easily)

You can get more exotic stuff (wirewrap wire in AWG28 or AWG30, with 
Kynar insulation) - since nobody does wire wrap any more, you might be 
able to find a big spool somewhere, cheap.  I used to know a guy who 
made homemade Litz wire with the stuff, braiding it stretched out across 
the yard.  He was building loading coils for Lowfer transmitting. 
Obsession knows no bounds, eh?