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Adam Davis
Adam Davis
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There are two aspect you'll need to take into account. The first can be more easily dismissed as insignificant, and that is the velocity factor of the metal. For common conducting metals the difference between two metals is very small and is generally swamped by other things that affect velocity factor, such as insulation.

The second, and more important aspect is the resistance of the metal. The higher the resistance, the greater the losses to heat. Stainless steel isn't a great conductor, and a simple 50W continuous transmission will heat it too hot to touch without much trouble - a lot of that power is going into heating the metal, and not transmitting the signal. Copper and aluminum are good conductors, but if you could use goldsilver you'd have an even more efficient antenna - it could operate at higher power with thinner wire than the other conductors.

Beyond that, there's little electrically to take into account in choosing a metal for an antenna design - just mechanical, environmental, connection, and cost factors which often weigh more heavily in the decision than the above factors.

There are two aspect you'll need to take into account. The first can be more easily dismissed as insignificant, and that is the velocity factor of the metal. For common conducting metals the difference between two metals is very small and is generally swamped by other things that affect velocity factor, such as insulation.

The second, and more important aspect is the resistance of the metal. The higher the resistance, the greater the losses to heat. Stainless steel isn't a great conductor, and a simple 50W continuous transmission will heat it too hot to touch without much trouble - a lot of that power is going into heating the metal, and not transmitting the signal. Copper and aluminum are good conductors, but if you could use gold you'd have an even more efficient antenna - it could operate at higher power with thinner wire than the other conductors.

Beyond that, there's little electrically to take into account in choosing a metal for an antenna design - just mechanical, environmental, connection, and cost factors which often weigh more heavily in the decision than the above factors.

There are two aspect you'll need to take into account. The first can be more easily dismissed as insignificant, and that is the velocity factor of the metal. For common conducting metals the difference between two metals is very small and is generally swamped by other things that affect velocity factor, such as insulation.

The second, and more important aspect is the resistance of the metal. The higher the resistance, the greater the losses to heat. Stainless steel isn't a great conductor, and a simple 50W continuous transmission will heat it too hot to touch without much trouble - a lot of that power is going into heating the metal, and not transmitting the signal. Copper and aluminum are good conductors, but if you could use silver you'd have an even more efficient antenna - it could operate at higher power with thinner wire than the other conductors.

Beyond that, there's little electrically to take into account in choosing a metal for an antenna design - just mechanical, environmental, connection, and cost factors which often weigh more heavily in the decision than the above factors.

Source Link
Adam Davis
Adam Davis
  • 12.2k
  • 2
  • 49
  • 108

There are two aspect you'll need to take into account. The first can be more easily dismissed as insignificant, and that is the velocity factor of the metal. For common conducting metals the difference between two metals is very small and is generally swamped by other things that affect velocity factor, such as insulation.

The second, and more important aspect is the resistance of the metal. The higher the resistance, the greater the losses to heat. Stainless steel isn't a great conductor, and a simple 50W continuous transmission will heat it too hot to touch without much trouble - a lot of that power is going into heating the metal, and not transmitting the signal. Copper and aluminum are good conductors, but if you could use gold you'd have an even more efficient antenna - it could operate at higher power with thinner wire than the other conductors.

Beyond that, there's little electrically to take into account in choosing a metal for an antenna design - just mechanical, environmental, connection, and cost factors which often weigh more heavily in the decision than the above factors.