Steel Core Elements

I have been watching with interest the discussion about copper over steel wire
elements and agree with the posted comments. I would like to add an exclamation
point to the posting about corrosion - if you have problems with unprotected
aluminium you don't want to use copperweld type elements.

Too many years at sea with the USN punctuated by many antennas crashing to the decks
has made me a real fan of using non-magnetic stainless in a hostile environment.
Coating elements does extend the life of copperweld. The best coating I have found
to date is high quality car wax. When applied every 3 - 4 months the copper stays
bright and trouble spots are easily found. Polymer coatings not only effect the
electrical performance but also crack and let in the bad stuff and none I have ever
tried has the UV resistance demonstrated by simple car wax. Probably not a good
solution for product development, but it sure works in the ham brew world.
Cheers!
Buzz Shaw - - WA1NHP
Received on Mon Feb 12 1996 - 20:33:00 EST