1/4 mile for $30 is reasonable and would work well for radials. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acorn-International-EFW1714-1-4-Mile-17-Gauge-Galvanized-Fence-Wire/152465194663?epid=4017419194&hash=item237fa23ea7:g:xOMAAOSw4A5YwFca
Herb, KV4FZ On Wed, Sep 5, 2018 at 2:00 PM Herbert Schoenbohm < herbert.schoenb...@gmail.com> wrote: > For a cheap solution for radials is to use buried galvanized barbed wire. > It is available for pennies a foot. A preferred way of putting it in is to > use a is a Ditch Witch with a vibrating plow attachment that allows the > wire to buried with limited handling. Depending on the soil consistency it > will be long-lasting. My sons with metal detectors have unearthed barbed > wire that was of a style used 50 years ago by local farmers. In Puerto Rico > AM stations have lost entire copper fields by poachers who sent it off to > Rep Dom by containers to be sent by the pound. They have used the > galvanized fence wire successfully. > > Herb, KV4FZ > > On Wed, Sep 5, 2018 at 1:13 PM JC <n...@n4is.com> wrote: > >> Hi Guys >> >> Stay away from aluminum, the aluminum oxide dielectric is a terrible >> complication around 2 MHz, it become a capacitor and a diode and will >> generate a lot of noise in presence RF currents. >> >> There is no way to avoid the diodes at the connection with different >> materials, like at the ground plate. When these electrical junctions are >> very well they will work well for few months, than the noise will start >> around Sunset when the RF field from AM BC are more intense, the RF will be >> there, even if you are far from BC station, the propagation peak is near >> Sunset. >> >> Galvanic corrosion and diode formation is inevitable. Same problem is >> very common on rotor, mast and tower contacts originating birds on 1810, >> 1820 and every 10 KHz, most of this signals are originate on your own >> tower. Just grounding the with a solid contact with the tower can kill a >> lot of noise. >> >> I've seen several situation of aluminum joints becoming a strong noise >> source. The same joints are not a problem on 80 or 40m, the issue is just >> around 2 MHz >> >> Save yourself a lot of problems, aluminum an 160m antennas are not a good >> combination. >> >> 73's >> JC >> N4IS >> >> >> _________________ >> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband >> > _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband