[TowerTalk] Long Wire Sag

[Gedas]

Hi Bob. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I have always 
used #14 stranded here for 40m and 80m antennas and knock on wood have 
not had a wire break....I found the stranded was a lot easier to work 
with and esp to solder to. I also thought the stranded would stretch 
less then the solid but it may in fact be the other way around.

I see Jim has replied and I want to read what he has said and hope I can 
put what he has said to use. I have been getting a lot of nice tips from 
people via PM and need to start digesting it all. Thank you again !


Gedas, W8BYA

Gallery at http://w8bya.com
Light travels faster than sound....
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

On 3/10/2019 11:55 AM, Bob Shohet, KQ2M wrote:
> Hi Gedas,
> I use #10 for 160,  #12 for 80 and #14 for 40.
> The #10 NEVER breaks – not even in frequent ice storms  – only the 
> wire connectors that I use with them.  #12 for 80 almost never breaks 
> and #14 breaks after enough wear and tear in 1 – 3 years especially in 
> a high wind environment where flexing of the outer coating is 
> commonplace and where significant tension is involved.
> I believe that #12 THHN SOLID (not stranded) is the best compromise of 
> weight, strength and cost.  #14 will break given enough time and the 
> few bucks that you save with it over #14 is not worth it.  In my 
> experience the difference in weight should not be significant unless 
> you are supporting a lot of ice.  I know that the Wireman sells a #13 
> pvc coated poly – and I used to use that but found that its life 
> expectancy was significantly less than the #12 THHN and #14 THHN that 
> I could buy for a fraction of the cost at Home Depot or Lowe’s in a 
> 500’ spool.
> I strongly recommend SOLID and not stranded because in my experience 
> the stranded THHN breaks more frequently than the solid.
> The #14, weighing less than #12, will have less sag, but is not as 
> strong, will flap around more in the wind it is not as strong and is 
> far more likely to break under tension, especially when supporting ice 
> or wet snow.
> 73
> Bob KQ2M
> *From:* Gedas <mailto:w8bya at mchsi.com>
> *Sent:* Sunday, March 10, 2019 11:25 AM
> *Cc:* towertalk at contesting.com <mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
> *Subject:* [TowerTalk] Long Wire Sag
> I am planning to put up a long inverted v antenna with it's feedpoint at
> 85' using 600' total wire (300' on each leg). The ends will be near the
> ground, only 20-25 feet high.
>
> My question is given that each leg of this antenna will be 300' long am
> I better off going with a lighter weight #14 THHN insulated stranded
> wire or some heavier #12 THHN stranded? I am not going to purchase a
> different wire that would be better suited like copper-weld etc since I
> have plenty of these other two and want to try something today.
>
> I realize there is going to be a _lot_ of sag in either case but I am
> not sure of the breaking strengths of either #12 or #14 and in the end
> which will help keep the wire up higher with less sag. Any ideas?
>
> Gedas, W8BYA
>
> Gallery at http://w8bya.com
> Light travels faster than sound....
> This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
>
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