>
> When you're pricing out 440 feet of coax, the pennies add up
> to quite a
> few dollars.
Depends on how you look at it. The difference becomes insignificant when
you look at the big picture. The price of 440 feet of line is a small
fraction of the total project cost once you add in connectors, hoisting
grips, ground kits, hangers, weatherproofing, jumpers, plus the cost of the
actual antenna, mount, pipe, etc.. Then add in installation labor. By the
time all is said and done, the difference in the total project cost for
copper versus aluminum ends up being negligible. While the cost of the
cable alone may be 15% mroe for copper versus aluminum, the total project
cost variation is likely going to be only a few percent.
Typical installation, throwing out rough numbers:
440' of 7/8" AL5-50 @ $3/ft = $1320
2 connectors = $60
4 ground kits = $80
2 hoisting grips = $40
100 snap-ins = $150
Antenna = $1000
Mount = $250
Jumpers = $100
Lightning arrestor = $100
Labor = $1500 (lowballed - 3 men @ $500/day)
PROJECT TOTAL: $4,600
Vary the cost of the feedline by +15% (the difference in cost between
aluminum and copper line), project total becomes $4,798, a bottom-line
difference of 4.3%.
To me, it's not worth the gamble. One trip up the tower to investigate a
problem and you've already blown that tiny differential in cost savings. If
we assume that properly-installed Heliax should last 20 years, the aluminum
needs to last at least 19 years in order to break even (ignoring inflation).
Sure, I'd like to pocket the $200 difference, but I'd much rather sleep well
at night knowing that I haven't cut corners. And antennas and feedlines are
NOT where you cut corners...
Also note that the Al cables have slightly more loss than their Cu
counterparts, so there's a slight performance tradeoff as well.
By the way, Andrew's prices are going up across-the-board on April 8th (I
think that's the right date), so if you're planning on ordering anything, do
it sooner rather than later.
--- Jeff WN3A
