The best wire for antennas EVER!

[Luis Romero - M94-2]

I dont ordinarily gush about things such as wire.  I was very happy going to Lowes or Home Depot and getting some THHN house wire, #12, #14 and #18, to build antennas with. I swore off of Copperweld when it attempted to stab me in the stomach while attaching an end insulator.

Wire is wire, right?

Then I found this stuff: 

Amazon.com: BNTECHGO 18 Gauge Silicone Wire Spool 250 ft Black Flexible 18 AWG Stranded Tinned Copper Wire : Tools & Home Improvement

and I will never ever buy the stuff from the big box stores again for making antennas!

This stuff is like rope. It lays flat. It doesnt curl up and resist, it doesnt stretch, its slippery as heck and its strands are real copper and very fine. Soldering this stuff is a pleasure, as it is pre tinned.

Its just the best damn antenna wire EVER!

If you build antennas that use wire, you owe it to yourself to buy a spool of this stuff. I guarantee you, once you use it, you will wonder how you built antennas with the Big Box Store stuff.

I have no financial connection to this manufacturer, however, this is simply hands down THE BEST antenna wire I have ever had the pleasure of working with in my amateur radio career.

Try it.  And if you dont agree, send it back to Amazon! But I bet you wont, because once you use it, you wont use anything else again!

Luis Romero - W4LT

[Larry Wissinger]

Lu, this great stuff.  I use it as my ground radials when I do POTA.  Easy to lay out, will not tangle & easy to wrap back up.  Just bought 100’ of it last week.

Larry

KM4LEW

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[Gary K9GS]

They also have longer lengths available to 1000 ft.

They also make the same wire in larger gauge sizes.

73,

Gary K9GS

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[Lloyd Sowers]

That is definitely gushing!

On Sep 5, 2025, at 5:00 PM, Larry Wissinger <km4...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Chris Blake, NX4N]

Tnx Lu!

73,

Chris, NX4N 

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[Joel Bahl]

Look up Polystealth ( strong and thin ) and Flexweave.  I have been using flexweave for a long time. Cant beat 

polystealth for strength and low vis - flexible also.  Ham radio shops or direct from mfr. 

73 

KQ0J 

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Regards,  Joel 

[ron wright]

One issue with wire for antenna is will it stretch over time one reason for hard drawn copper wire. 

73, ron, n9ee/r a Know Code Extra

Ron Wright

BSEE

Hernando Co, Florida ARES EC

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[Phil Fusilier]

I use 12 ga solid copper wire wrapped in grey plastic.

⚓️I sent RATT Traffic to Submarines in the North Atlantic off Polyarney Inlet in 1970.

KA5USN

  Chief

      1*

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From: F...@groups.io <F...@groups.io> on behalf of NX4N Chris via groups.io <cqdenx4n=gmai...@groups.io>
Sent: Friday, September 5, 2025 5:56:06 PM
To: lrom...@tampabay.rr.com <lrom...@tampabay.rr.com>
Cc: F...@groups.io <f...@groups.io>; TAMPA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB <ta...@hamclub.org>
Subject: Re: [FCG] The best wire for antennas EVER!

 

Tnx Lu!

73,

Chris, NX4N 

On Friday, September 5, 2025, W4LT Lu Romero via groups.io <lromero56=tampaba...@groups.io> wrote:

I dont ordinarily gush about things such as wire.  I was very happy going to Lowes or Home Depot and getting some THHN house wire, #12, #14 and #18, to build antennas with. I swore off of Copperweld when it attempted to stab me in the stomach while attaching an end insulator.

Wire is wire, right?

Then I found this stuff: 

Amazon.com: BNTECHGO 18 Gauge Silicone Wire Spool 250 ft Black Flexible 18 AWG Stranded Tinned Copper Wire : Tools & Home Improvement

and I will never ever buy the stuff from the big box stores again for making antennas!

This stuff is like rope. It lays flat. It doesnt curl up and resist, it doesnt stretch, its slippery as heck and its strands are real copper and very fine. Soldering this stuff is a pleasure, as it is pre tinned.

Its just the best damn antenna wire EVER!

If you build antennas that use wire, you owe it to yourself to buy a spool of this stuff. I guarantee you, once you use it, you will wonder how you built antennas with the Big Box Store stuff.

I have no financial connection to this manufacturer, however, this is simply hands down THE BEST antenna wire I have ever had the pleasure of working with in my amateur radio career.

Try it.  And if you dont agree, send it back to Amazon! But I bet you wont, because once you use it, you wont use anything else again!

Luis Romero - W4LT

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[Mike Furrey]

I use the thhn #14 stranded from the box stores BUT I buy it from a surplus metals dealer here in Oak Ridge, TN. The price is about  a 4th of the box stores as they sell it by the pound ... sometimes there is 100' left, sometimes 500' left on a 1000' roll.  Sure it stretches a bit but not enough to throw the antenna too far out of resonance. 

73, Mike WA5POK

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[Buddy Morgan]

Anybody care to speculate how long that Silicone Insulation will last outdoors?

Buddy WB4OMG

[Luis V Romero (mobile)]

I guess I’ll find out!  

And, yes, wire like this does stretch. The SouthWire THHN #14 that is my 40m 2 Half Waves in Phase has moved 1.5kHz down in the 20 years that it’s been in the air. 

Lu W4LT

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 6, 2025, at 11:45 AM, 'Buddy Morgan' via Tampa Amateur Radio Club (TARC) <ta...@hamclub.org> wrote:



Anybody care to speculate how long that Silicone Insulation will last outdoors?

Buddy WB4OMG

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