Hi David,
Let me play the Devil's Advocate and offer a thought about soldering antenna
wire. Seems to me that the practice of soldering the wire loops at the end
insulators of a wire antenna, as suggested in the ARRL Antenna Handbook for
example, could result in the wire breaking prematurely at that point when
stressed by high wind. FWIW I use stranded Flexweave but do not solder the
end 'loops' which are secured by Ty-Wraps, with the end of the wire folded
over the first Ty-Wrap installed to prevent 'creep'. The Ty-Wraps and wire
loops are covered by a good dose of Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly) to keep out
moisture and to keep the wire clean, then covered by black tape to stop rain
washing away the Vaseline and perhaps provide a small amount of strain
relief. No breakage problems during the past 9 years in spite of some very
high winds which have taken down nearby tall pines, one of which fell across
an antenna blowing its catenary counterweight 'fuses' allowing that antenna
to fall under the tree, but otherwise undamaged.
73,
Geoff
GM4ESD
David Cutter G3UNA wrote:
Hi Tom
You make a good point. I say offer both and let the market decide.
David
G3UNA
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