Hi Dale. The wire used in loop antennas is called Litz wire. It is actually stranded but each strand is insulated from all the others. In solid wire, or stranded, where all the strands are in electrical contact the current at radio frequencies flows mostly on the surface of the wire. This is called skin effect. In Litz wire the skin effect applies to each individual strand. Capacitance between strands negates this at higher frequencies. Litz wire is only useful up to about 3 MHz. For outdoor resonant antennas copper plated steel stranded wire is the only way to go. Copper wire has quite a bit of stretch to it and after a few months the optimum operating frequency for a copper wire antenna will decrees by several percent. For non resonant antennas this doesn't make any difference but durability is also important.
Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [email protected] Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dale Leavens" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 25, 2008 12:04 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Another Antenna question > Is that correct tom? > > I was always under the impression that stranded wire was inferior as an > antenna. It certainly isn't used for windings on the graphite antennas in > radios or the loop antennas in the back of those old tube radios although > it is used in the feed lines of 15 ohm ribbon cable. > > I understood that reactance losses are pretty high particularly at the > higher frequencies of RF. > > It is a long time though since I studied such things. > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Tom Fowle > To: [email protected] > Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 11:54 PM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Another Antenna question > > > bill, > The only reason to use braided wire is it is more flexible and won't tend > to > break so much from wind or other vibrations.. Other than that, it makes > no > difference at all except for physical strength. > > Don't forget to use some kind of insulators wherever you hang it or > wherever > it passes very near any other object. Almost any plastic will do for > insulators. > > tom Fowle > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > ------------------------------------ > > Send any questions regarding list management to: > [email protected] > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > Or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > > Visit the archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following > address for more information: > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [email protected]! Groups Links > > > > >
