Why Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?
RHF
I was taught many years ago that it was always
a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
them on both Ends in case any individual strands
should break.
+ Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.
* Also the claim is that the Solder & Iron/Steel/SS
'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
& Iron/Steel/SS.
? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?
=Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
-and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
'noise' on the Antenna Wire.
? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?
thinking about the things i do . . .
and the why of it all ~ RHF
.
dave
> To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?
>
> I was taught many years ago that it was always
> a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
> Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
> them on both Ends in case any individual strands
> should break.
>
> + Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
> made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.
>
> 'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
> & Iron/Steel/SS.
>
> ? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?
>
> =Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
> Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
> then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
> two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
> -and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
> a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
> could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
> 'noise' on the Antenna Wire.
>
> ? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
> help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?
>
> thinking about the things i do . . .
> and the why of it all ~ RHF
> .
insulator. Then solder your 9:1 balun hot primary positive lead to the
antenna wire. You'll need still air, or a 100 Watt iron.
BDK
11g2000prv.googlegroups.com>, rhf-new...@pacbell.net says...
> To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?
>
> I was taught many years ago that it was always
> a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
> Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
> them on both Ends in case any individual strands
> should break.
I do that too.
>
> + Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
> made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.
>
> * Also the claim is that the Solder & Iron/Steel/SS
> 'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
> & Iron/Steel/SS.
I suppose so, but I never mix the two in the first place. I use ceramic
insulators and there is no electrical connection between copper and
steel/iron. I must be doing something right, the oldest one is still up,
even though the coax going to it has died of old age.
>
> ? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?
As far as I know, yes.
>
> =Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
> Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
> then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
> two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
> -and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
> a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
> could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
> 'noise' on the Antenna Wire.
Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.
>
> ? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
> help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?
Again, I've never heard of such a thing, and I've been SWL'ing for about
45 years.
>
> thinking about the things i do . . .
> and the why of it all ~ RHF
> .
Nothing wrong with that.
--
BDK, non-jew leader of the non-existant jew paid shills!
Brian Gregory [UK]
news:MPG.267e0b39e...@news.buckeye-express.com...
> Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
> old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
> went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
> a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.
What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?
--
Brian Gregory. (In the UK)
n...@bgdsv.co.uk
To email me remove the letter vee.
Brian Gregory [UK]
news:55bad1be-b465-474f...@11g2000prv.googlegroups.com...
> To Solder or Not Solder the Ends of Stranded Antenna Wire ?
>
> I was taught many years ago that it was always
> a good Idea to Solder the Ends [1/2"~1" of my
> Stranded Antenna Wire to Electrically Bond
> them on both Ends in case any individual strands
> should break.
> + Plus on the Feed-End the Soldered Stranded Wire
> made for a better Mechanical Connection to the Hardware.
Not a bad idea at the feed end as long as solder is conpatible with whatever
method you use to make the connection. Solder slowly deforms and can make
crimped or screw conenctions become loose over time.
I don't see any point at the other end.
> * Also the claim is that the Solder & Iron/Steel/SS
> 'connection' was less likely to Corrode then Copper
> & Iron/Steel/SS.
Not sure.
>
> ? Is Soldering the Wire Ends common practice ?
>
> =Alternatively= I have been told to only Solder the
> Stranded Antenna Wire at the Feed-End; and
> then Tie-a-Knot in the Far-End about an Inch or
> two from the End {Overhand Knot or Loop Knot}
> -and-then-to- Separate-out the individual wires into
> a Porcupine {half-ball} so that the Static Electricity
> could bleed-off and reduce some of the the static
> 'noise' on the Antenna Wire.
This is nonsense. I suspect it arises from the way americans use the same
word "static" to refer to both the high voltage static electricity that
gives you shocks after walking on nylon carpets etc, and to refer to antenna
noise. They are rather different things.
The only thing worth doing at both ends, with an insulated wire, is sealing
the wire to keep moisture out
> ? Does splaying the Far-End Antenna Wires really
> help to Bleed-off the Static build-up on the Wire ?
Well it might affect high voltage static electricity build up I guess but
that won't be present when the antenna is connected to your receiver.
> thinking about the things i do . . .
> and the why of it all ~ RHF
--
Krypsis
> "BDK"<TopS...@sanity.com> wrote in message
> news:MPG.267e0b39e...@news.buckeye-express.com...
>> Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
>> old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
>> went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
>> a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.
>
> What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?
>
An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for
tail lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The
brake/indicator light filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25
Watts) so the bayonet typically has staggered locating pins. This
prevents the higher wattage rating being used as the tail light filament.
http://www.eziautoparts.com.au/lighting/globes/stop-tail-and-indicator-globes.html
New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
arrays.
Krypsis
Brian Gregory [UK]
news:4c14e854$0$17175$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
But that would most definitely not light from the static electricity induced
in an antenna wire on a stormy night and would shunt away much of the wanted
signal anyway.
So I think BDK must mean something else.
Either that or he's making it up as he goes.
bpnjensen
> "Krypsis" <kryp...@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
>
> news:4c14e854$0$17175$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
>
>
>
>
>
> > On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
> >>news:MPG.267e0b39e...@news.buckeye-express.com...
> >>> Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
> >>> old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
> >>> went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
> >>> a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.
>
> >> What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?
>
> > An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
> > fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for tail
> > lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The brake/indicator light
> > filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25 Watts) so the bayonet
> > typically has staggered locating pins. This prevents the higher wattage
> > rating being used as the tail light filament.
>
>
> > New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
> > arrays.
>
> > Krypsis
>
> But that would most definitely not light from the static electricity induced
> in an antenna wire on a stormy night and would shunt away much of the wanted
> signal anyway.
>
> So I think BDK must mean something else.
>
> Either that or he's making it up as he goes.
Isn't that what most of us do with antennas? ;-)
cuh...@webtv.net
in that article to not solder the wires.He said that makes them brittle
and vibration can make them fail.I believe in soldering them, meself.
cuhulin
dave
Do not tin wires that you are going to crimp.
Do not "double strike" when you crimp.
bpnjensen
On this last, why not? Is there some weakening that occurs?
Krypsis
allow the solder to flow back along the wire from where it is needed,
ie. under the insulation. The wire should remain flexible immediately
behind the connector and any solder flow would prevent this flexibility.
I have always preferred soldered joints so I'm with you on this one!
Krypsis
dave
Depends on the crimper, but a good one only needs one squeeze and yes
the second squeeze can make the joint less secure.
LarbGai
> I have always preferred soldered joints so I'm with you on this one!
>
> Krypsis
*******Judging by the amount of crap you post around here I would say
that you much prefer a different sort of joint.
Spliff away old man. Whooooooooooooooooooo
;-)
RHF
* * * Clarification * * *
Yes the Antenna Wire goes around {thru}
the End Insulator first.
It is the free "Tag" End that gets Soldered
and Secured to the Matching Transformer
Hardware or Wire; or to the Center Wire of
the Coax Cable.
Same on the Far-End the Antenna Wire goes
around {thru} the End Insulator first. Then the
free "Tag" End that gets Soldered about two
Inches back for 1/2" ~ 1" and the un-soldered
Tip Wires are spread-out to bleed-off the Static
[ESD]
Clearly Solid {Single Strand} Wire does not
need to be Soldered.
Most likely common 7-Strand {12-Strand}
Two Layers 1+7 -or- Two Layers 3+9
commercial Electrical Wires may or may not
need to be Soldered to get every Strand in
the Bundle 'connected' and working as one
"Bonded" Antenna Element.
But the 19-Strand commercial Electrical Wires
are usually Three Layers of 1+7+12 and not
all of the Wires may be 'connected' without
Soldering them all together at some point
{spot} on the Length to Electrically "Bond"
them as one Wire.
Now when using a Stranded Antenna Wire like
Flex-Weave with 168 Strands or 259 Strands
http://www.radio-ware.com/products/fw.htm
-imho- Soldering can help in getting each and
everyone of those 100+ Individual Stranded Wires
'connected' and working as one fully "Bonded"
Antenna Element.
~ RHF
.
RHF
> "BDK" <TopSh...@sanity.com> wrote in message
The 12 VDC Auto Tail Light Bulb has a Tungsten
Element which is a relatively High Resistance
and functions as a constant {always-on} bleed
resister to drain any static electricity before it
could build-up. Cheaper that a Resister and the
Mini-Coils of the Tungsten Element was way far
beyond the HF Band so it only functioned as a
Resister and not a Coil {Inductor} when used with
a SWL [HF] Antenna. ~ RHF
Never saw one of these 12 VDC Tail Light Bulbs
'glow' because they were constantly bleeding-off
the Static Electricity before it had a chance to
build-up -but- using a Neon NE-2 Bulb will 'glow'
if the Static Electricity does build-up to trigger it.
That is why using an NE-2 Neon Bulb by itself is
not recommended since it is designed to Fire
only after the Static is already built-up.
Using a NE-2 Neon Bulb with a Bleed Resister
is often done with the idea that the NE-2 is an
Overload 'fail-safe' should the Bleed Resister
fail of there is a not to distant Lightning Strike.
If you are already using a Matching Transformer
Balun/Unun with your SWL Antenna the the Bleed
Resister generally is not needed or required.
~ RHF
.
RHF
- - Either that or he's making it up as he goes.
- Isn't that what most of us do with antennas? ;-)
Some Antenna Yarns are measured by the Foot
others by the Yard and still others by the Metre.
RHF
> > Article I read in a motorbike magazine back in the 1970s.Somebody said
> > in that article to not solder the wires.He said that makes them brittle
> > and vibration can make them fail.I believe in soldering them, meself.
> > cuhulin
- Do not tin wires that you are going to crimp.
- Do not "double strike" when you crimp.
Crimping is a matter of 'style'
and the Double Strike {Crimping Twice}
often Crimps Your Style
say man don't be crimping my style dude ~ RHF
.
RHF
> On Jun 13, 4:42 pm, dave <d...@dave.dave> wrote:
>
> > cuhu...@webtv.net wrote:
> > > Article I read in a motorbike magazine back in the 1970s.Somebody said
> > > in that article to not solder the wires.He said that makes them brittle
> > > and vibration can make them fail.I believe in soldering them, meself.
> > > cuhulin
>
> > Do not tin wires that you are going to crimp.
- - Do not "double strike" when you crimp.
- On this last, why not?
- Is there some weakening that occurs?
A good solid strong single Crimp 'sets' it's
Contact {Compression} Points and nothing
more is required. {Optimum}
The second Crimp often disturbs these Contact
{Compression} Points and may in-fact reduce
the hold {efficiency} of some or all of them.
* Often nothing is gain and sometimes there is
a loss of a solid crimp. {bad crimp job}
+ The Double Crimp is twice the work with no
real improvement in the product. {wasted labor}
~ RHF
.
RHF
> On 14/06/2010 5:42 AM, cuhu...@webtv.net wrote:> Article I read in a motorbike magazine back in the 1970s.Somebody said
> > in that article to not solder the wires.He said that makes them brittle
> > and vibration can make them fail.I believe in soldering them, meself.
> > cuhulin
>
- allow the solder to flow back along the wire from where it is
needed,
- ie. under the insulation.
http://www.bassesbyleo.com/soldering.html
- The wire should remain flexible immediately
- behind the connector and any solder flow
- would prevent this flexibility.
BDK
says...
> "Krypsis" <kry...@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> news:4c14e854$0$17175$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
> > On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
> >> "BDK"<TopS...@sanity.com> wrote in message
> >> news:MPG.267e0b39e...@news.buckeye-express.com...
> >>> Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
> >>> old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off. I
> >>> went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb made
> >>> a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really going.
> >>
> >> What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?
> >>
> >
> > An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
> > fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for tail
> > lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The brake/indicator light
> > filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25 Watts) so the bayonet
> > typically has staggered locating pins. This prevents the higher wattage
> > rating being used as the tail light filament.
> >
> > http://www.eziautoparts.com.au/lighting/globes/stop-tail-and-indicator-globes.html
> >
> > New technology is seeing the incandescent bulbs being superseded by LED
> > arrays.
> >
> > Krypsis
>
> But that would most definitely not light from the static electricity induced
> in an antenna wire on a stormy night and would shunt away much of the wanted
> signal anyway.
Wanna bet? And the signal loss was minimal on the huge antenna I used it
on. Actually, that was a bonus as the signal level on that antenna was
really too much for all my receivers. The local AMBC station was so
strong here anyway, I needed a BC killer filter plus 10 or 20DB
attenuation to keep from hearing it in the background all the time. I
was kind of happy when it came apart and I had to redo it, and I
basically cut it in half, size wise. I still had more than enough
antenna for ute listening. When I cut the size down, I went to the gas
discharge tube type arrestors, one for each receiver.
>
> So I think BDK must mean something else.
Nope.
>
> Either that or he's making it up as he goes.
Nope again, I got woke up several times when I forgot to flip the short
out switch before I went to bed. When it's really cold out, and the wind
blows, there's enough voltage to light up a bulb pretty brightly on
peaks. It had to be really cold, and really windy for it to light up. In
a lit up room, it wasn't very bright, but in the middle of the night, it
was hard to miss.
BTW, I didn't use any kind of matching transformer, I had no use for any
more signal strength than I had already with just a straight coax
hookup. I'm very close to a river and once the eclectic company replaced
the bad transformer that was driving me crazy for years, it's a pretty
quiet area, RF wise.
Radiomatt
Krypsis
Looks like he might have "lost control"!
I keep larbgai on permanent killfile. In his entire history of usenet
posting, the ONLY on-topic relevant post he ever made was in
soc.culture.thai and related to Thai bargirls, an area of expertise in
which he displays considerable experience!
As for the type of joint he is referring to, I have no need of
artificial stimulants. At 72, the mere act of waking up in the morning
is a good start to the day!
Krypsis
LarbGai
> I keep larbgai on permanent killfile. In his entire history of usenet
> posting, the ONLY on-topic relevant post he ever made was in
> soc.culture.thai and related to Thai bargirls, an area of expertise in
> which he displays considerable experience!
>
> As for the type of joint he is referring to, I have no need of
> artificial stimulants. At 72, the mere act of waking up in the morning
> is a good start to the day!
>
> Krypsis-
******** ROTFLMAO..................... Classic stuff old man.
It's not hard to get you posting is it?????
Fools like you just need your old ego prodded and away you go...
Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
LarbGai
Come on, tea lady. We know this is your work. Don't try to deny it.
;-)
cuh...@webtv.net
sho nuff Solder.You can't hardly find real Solder anymore.
Tail Lights, you say?
http://www.taillightking.com
cuhulin
Brian Gregory [UK]
No way was the static lighting up a 12V 5W filament bulb.
You might conceivably seen something if there was a lightening strike
closeby.
Or maybe the filament was actually open circuit and you were seeing some
kind of gas discharge.
> BTW, I didn't use any kind of matching transformer, I had no use for any
> more signal strength than I had already with just a straight coax
> hookup. I'm very close to a river and once the eclectic company replaced
> the bad transformer that was driving me crazy for years, it's a pretty
> quiet area, RF wise.
--
Brian Gregory. (In the UK)
BDK
says...
It lit it up a few times every winter, in the daytime, or with the
lights on, it was hard to see, so it might have lit up more often. I saw
it in the dark easily enough though.
>
> You might conceivably seen something if there was a lightening strike
> closeby.
Not in the winter.
>
> Or maybe the filament was actually open circuit and you were seeing some
> kind of gas discharge.
I don't think so, but I tossed the bulb and the little box and socket
when I went to the gas discharge tubes, so I don't know.
>
>
> > BTW, I didn't use any kind of matching transformer, I had no use for any
> > more signal strength than I had already with just a straight coax
> > hookup. I'm very close to a river and once the eclectic company replaced
> > the bad transformer that was driving me crazy for years, it's a pretty
> > quiet area, RF wise.
>
>
--
RHF
> "BDK" <TopSh...@sanity.com> wrote in message
>
> news:MPG.267f9e248...@news.buckeye-express.com...
>
>
>
> > In article <_p-dnbGoo5ozs4jRnZ2dnUVZ8i2dn...@pipex.net>, n...@bgdsv.co.uk
> > says...
> >> "Krypsis" <kryp...@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> >>news:4c14e854$0$17175$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
> >> > On 13/06/2010 10:26 PM, Brian Gregory [UK] wrote:
> >> >>news:MPG.267e0b39e...@news.buckeye-express.com...
> >> >>> Never heard of such a thing. I use insulators at each end, and in the
> >> >>> old days I used a neon bulb or a 12V tail light bulb as a bleed off.
> >> >>> I
> >> >>> went to gas discharge tube arrestors a long time ago. The 12V bulb
> >> >>> made
> >> >>> a really nice light show on winter days when the wind was really
> >> >>> going.
>
> >> >> What kind of buld exactly is a "12V tail light bulb"?
>
> >> > An automotive 12 volt, 5 watt bulb (globe) with (usually) a bayonet
> >> > fitting. You can get bulbs that have dual filaments, one filament for
> >> > tail
> >> > lights, the other for brake or indicator lights. The brake/indicator
> >> > light
> >> > filament has a higher wattage rating (21 - 25 Watts) so the bayonet
> >> > typically has staggered locating pins. This prevents the higher wattage
> >> > rating being used as the tail light filament.
>
- You might conceivably seen something if there
- was a lightening strike closeby.
Would you notice a Flashlight spotted on you
for a second from 50 Feet away when a nearby
Lightning Strike lit-up the Sky during that same
second --- nah
Brian Gregory [UK]
>> No way was the static lighting up a 12V 5W filament bulb.
>
> It lit it up a few times every winter, in the daytime, or with the
> lights on, it was hard to see, so it might have lit up more often. I saw
> it in the dark easily enough though.
A weakly lit up filament bulb is a deep reddy orange. Is that what you saw?
cuh...@webtv.net
cuhulin
BDK
says...
> "BDK" <TopS...@sanity.com> wrote in message
> news:MPG.2681034a4...@news.buckeye-express.com...
> >> No way was the static lighting up a 12V 5W filament bulb.
> >
> > It lit it up a few times every winter, in the daytime, or with the
> > lights on, it was hard to see, so it might have lit up more often. I saw
> > it in the dark easily enough though.
>
> A weakly lit up filament bulb is a deep reddy orange. Is that what you saw?
>
>
It was bright enough to wake me up, but I wake up very easily. I don't
sleep very well at all, even back then.
Kind of a bright orange. Nowhere near bright white, but in a nearly
totally dark room with blackout curtains, etc, it was hard to miss.
BDK
cuh...@webtv.net says...
> Did you strike a match to see if that light was lit?
> cuhulin
>
>
Right after you lit one to see if there was gas in that tank.