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Copper tube or aluminum tube ? |
The losses of an aluminum radiator can be 4db worse compared to a copper radiator of the same thickness. Stainless steel is even worse.
After calculations using loopcalc.exe :
For the same efficiency, an aluminum radiator should have 2.5x
more thickness
than an equivalent copper radiator has.
= | Costs for copper and aluminum tubes differ therefore little. |
= | Copper and aluminum must both be painted, as bare aluminum oxidizes too. |
_ | Bending aluminum tube into a circle is a specialists task and very expensive. |
_ | The welding of aluminum causes : extra transport costs of the completed loop to the antenna site, impossible moving through housing. |
+ | Brass knees + tin solder, cost less than the argon welding of aluminum. |
+ | Copper tubing can be cheaply soldered yourselves for free, using tin
solder, on the definitive antenna site itself. |
+ | Separate 2.5m long copper tubes can be costless transported in you
(small) car, and easily moved through buildings. |
+ | The thinner copper tubing is less obvious than bigger aluminum tubing. |
Construction with copper is much easier, and
extra costs are much lower.
Think about thick Cellflex coax.