Transmission1

This may have been discussed before but...

Browsing Homebase last night I found myself looking at the plumbing section and realised the copper pipe is in 3M lengths.

So, using three 120 degree fittings, three T-piece fittings I could make a tripod base to support a 3M copper vertical (that I'd trim to size). To make it more portable I could chop the 3M lengths and use compression fittings to put them back together.

I'm not thinking of a permanent antenna but something that could be chucked together in ten minutes and used for a couple of hours out in the field.

Any disadvantages, advantages or would I just be best buying/making something different?

nowt wrong with using copper pal !

Just dont turn around when its up or it will be gone in a flash....

Doh, faulty thinking, it's need to be more than three 120 degree fittings, only three t pieces.

Copper is a great electrical conductor, but not necessarily great for antennae.

It will weather horribly, causing copper oxide to form which will shag up any connections.

If you have the patience to lacquer it then it will last longer than one DX season.

It is also very soft, so will distort in the wind, and the distortion is not recoverable, so you will also need to fill the tubing with a material that will absorb deflection without damaging the copper host.

All in all, copper tubing is a PITA for an external antenna, and the conductivity properties do not justify using it over aluminium or even stainless steel.

http://www.thunderpole.co.uk/large-cb-a ... -whip.html
Hassle free and just as good.

As that states Crusty, you'll still require a ground-plane so maybe one of the ali GP kits will make it complete, and work.

Unit 148

I picked up some old dirty dented twisted 10 mm microbore on a reel 20 quid .. didn't know there was 110 feet of it ..so I'll be making a 2 ele quad more to come ..

I have found that stranded copper earth wire rather than copper tube works best for me .If you look online sometimes you can get a good deal .The down side is it is not very flexible and can be tricky to use but I have made a number of great antennas from it that have all worked well for me.

I recently made an attic loop and used it to work a Spanish contest. The night I put it up the first call yielded Svalbard from an indoor antenna and with a slate roof to boot

The fishing pole antenna I used whilst on holiday was made using 6mm earth cable and this yielded contacts into the Caribbean, S.America and west Africa.

hope that helps in some way

Heavy gauge wire or small bore tube inside plastic pipe for a moxon...?

For a 2m antenna yes, but for HF it's likely to be too flexible (so I'm told).

Mind you, if you can squirt expanding foam up it also then IMO that would make it stiffer.

I saw a picture post that showed an antenna made with plastic pipe and then covered in tin tape. It worked well with a good SWR once trimmed properly. Also, I am sure the copper could be coated so that it does not tarnish. I also think if it was permanent that it could be tinned with solder and a torch. I saw a plumber tin some pipes under a bathroom sink to make it look more appealing. It was a nice shining silver when he was done. Just some food for thought

Do remember when calculating your 1/4 wave length to reduce your starting figure from 300 down to 296 for copper.
This allows for the difference in conductivity properties of copper over alloy.

I've been using copper tube for years to good effect.
Never use brass with it and always make sure the flux is washed away to prevent oxidisation, the copper turns black after a while but doesn't really affect performance. A friend of mine has used the same 23cms copper loop yagi on his chimney since 1990 and it's still going well.

For VHF/UHF Look up the copper cactus ( multi or single band j-pole )

Using single strand copper wire?
anchored at one end amd keeping it taught, you can stiffen it by spinning it a few times with a drill, it puts a very fine twist in the wire (hardly noticeable) but it becomes quite rigid/hard. Use an over-length piece so you can cut off the damaged ends. This makes it easier to form or pass through fibreglass tubes.