OK if Antenna or Ground wires are made from soldered-together lengths of wire?

[RadioCatt]

would a run of wire for antenna or ground be any less effective if it were made from lengths of wire soldered together, as opposed to one continuous length of unsoldered wire?

something from high school physics about waves changing their behavior as they travel from one medium to another..

thank you for any wisdom on this!

 

[Justme]

When solder comes in contact with the sol it will dissolve so use silversolder, or better waterproof the solder places before you bury them
I have 3000 feet copper in the ground so i know why not to use lead solder in contact with ground...

 

[brandon7861]

would a run of wire for antenna or ground be any less effective if it were made from lengths of wire soldered together, as opposed to one continuous length of unsoldered wire?

something from high school physics about waves changing their behavior as they travel from one medium to another..

thank you for any wisdom on this!

The only time you need to worry about signal reflections in any electronic system is when the impedance discontinuity is longer than 1/6 the distance that the rise time of the signal occupies in the wire. For a sine wave, that rising edge represents 1/4λ, so (1/4λ)/6= 1/24 λ. Simply put, any connection to a mismatched transmission line that is longer than 1/24th of a wavelength can cause a signal reflection.

The change in wire diameter due to the solder may change the impedance of that part of the line a little bit, but the overall length of that mismatched section (the solder blob) is completely insignificant at HF.

 

[W4KVW]

Solder has a very Low melting point compared to a solid strand of copper wire. That would be the issue for me. I would much prefer a clamp on connector of some sort that makes a solid connection & that has a higher melting point than any solder we normally use.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Solder has a very Low melting point compared to a solid strand of copper wire. That would be the issue for me. I would much prefer a clamp on connector of some sort that makes a solid connection & that has a higher melting point than any solder we normally use.

I was thinking along the same line. In the event of a lightning strike, solider would not stay together. Ground lines are cad welded for this reason. Split bolts are good too. This is assuming that the conductor is big enough to begin with.

 

[brandon7861]

Just use a Western Union splice when soldering. NASA trusts it.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Just use a Western Union splice when soldering. NASA trusts it.

Yeah sure, depends on the size of the wire. Might be a little hard to do with 4awg. Maybe use a square knot.

 

[Handy Andy]

If you do some more research, look for "skin effect" when it comes to RF.

Start here...

Skin effect - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Now, remember you're posting in a CB-radio/Antenna/Shortwave related set of forums, so we can only presume you want to work with the 11 meter frequency (or any specific pre-set length of band) and not much else.

Bandtraps can use the effects listed above along with your idea to make longer antennas resonate - but also with the extensions those shorter lengths can provide the traps to resonate on the other bands of interest.

So, when you look at the material, you have your wire and the medium to connect a longer length to it.

Ok, both physical connection per the surface to surface and the wetting agent - the solder - will and does affect performance.

Both options are adding length using solder - best not to when it comes to CONTINUOUS skin effect of radiator - so your antenna side will need full 1/4 or tunable coil and whip combo that can be "setscrewed" in the physical and the coil and wire length added are both physical and metallurgically affixed.

Yes, it's possible, else base loaded coil antenna loading wouldn't work, yet they do - they are not as effective as a continuous length of wire - but again, those losses are also inclusive with the mount, it's quality of alloys used and types so they bond electrically well and are offering some Skin effect reactance as would the base metal (Cu) - similar metals do better than to just "twist and solder" - might want to clamp them together.

 

[RadioCatt]

I think my head just exploded.

Thank you for the education. I think I’ll try for the uninterrupted antenna/ground to give the best chance at realizing the ultimate goal: listening to Earth radio.

I shall also read up on the various subjects you all so kindly raised.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

NEVER solder a ground. In the event of a lightning strike the solder will vapourize and leave you with an open connection. Grounds should be one continuous run if at all possible or if not CAD-welded or silver soldered. Silver solder BTW is not simply solder with a couple % silver added. It goes by the name Silfoss and contains about 15% silver as well as phosphor/bronze and requires a really hot torch to melt it. At the VERY least, use proper ground connectors and bolt the pieces together.

 

[144inBama]

Split bolts are the minimum that should be used for any splicing connection that may conduct current. As the Captain said, if possible, a solid run is always best.