Comparing some wire for portable operations

[@aj4eo388]

Tried a number off different wire, the wireman headquarters is a few mile from my house, checked all the wire they have The best wire I have found is DX-10 wire from DX commander, still
Have to order that from the UK. I can not recommend it enough. You don’t even need a wire winder, I wind with my fingers and have Velcro. To use it just pull the velcrow and throw, no tangles. I use it for radials, 1/4 wave elements, end fed half waves,‘everything. I should do a video, I can throw out 6 bundles of 4 radials really fast. Regards aj4eo

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

It sounds great, but it seems a little bulky for my liking and the sota beams wire is quite a bit cheaper. I've been tempted to get a DX Commander.

[@AA0Z]

Man, you keep making videos about stuff I have questions on...good job. That DX-10 wire is awesome from DX Commander. I built a DXC and was very impressed with it. It doesn't tangle, is easy to work with, it's light. I suspect it's like the SOTA Beams wire. I've used hook up wire from Amazon, but when you get a 40m dipole with 66' of wire, that can be heavy compared to everything else. I'm going to watch the comments as I'm interested to see what everybody thinks. I've used the poly stealth from Davis Engineering and it's like the DX Engineering stealth wire. It kinks, sometimes knots. I really don't like it...but I did get the 28awg, which is super tiny. I need to get a spool of the 22awg and see if it does the same thing.

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I think the SOTA beams is going to be hard to beat for size and ease of use. Shipping is expensive, but the wire is fairly cheap.

[@MattHeere]

I'll 2nd what Dean said about the DX-10 wire. It's really amazing stuff. Closest I've found domestically is silicone jacketed hook-up wire. Comes in 18AWG and the silicone jacket is both very flexible at all temps and impervious to nearly everything (it fades in UV sunlight but isn't damaged).
Problem is that it's crazy expensive compared to something like copper-clad aluminum speaker wire. CCA is actually a better choice for antennas because the aluminum is tougher and lighter than copper - and RF travels on the surface due to skin effect anyway. You can replace an awful lot of speaker wire before you've paid for the good stuff. Those cheap PVC jackets though...you won't need a tree for your 1/2 wave in the winter. It'll stand up all by itself!

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Thanks. I've been pretty happy with the SOTABEAMS wire. I got some of the premium antenna wire from DXE too and it is really nice for permanant antennas, but it's too bulky for portable use.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

I have had good luck with 14 stranded from one of the big box stores. This wire is great for temporary use, but for permanent use, I would look at Teflon-coated wire.

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

My home antenna is home depot 14 gauge. I've replaced that wire once. It lasted about 3 years before the coating started pealing off and hanging from the wire and my wife noticed it. For QRP portable ops I really don't want to go much bigger than maybe 22 gauge.

[@StuartM0TTQAmateurRadio]

You're right about the Sotabeams "light" wire, it's equivalent to 24awg. I also bought a reel of their "heavy duty" stuff with the Kevlar thread for my antenna at home, but I've found the light stuff takes quite a lot to break it, as you showed. I use a mix of the Sotabeams wire you've got and copper-clad aluminium speaker cable.

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I bought another roll of the SOTA beams wire.

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Great video on a fantastic topic.
I use usually whatever I can get my hands on.
Ever make a dipole out of an extension cord? I have.
Anywho, thanks for the info.

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Thanks, I ended up ordering some more of the sota beams wire. It's been great so far and I didn't find a better alternative for my use.

[@brian-k3es680]

DX Engineering polystealth is stranded copper clad steel. Much higher tensile strength than copper, and has more of a permanent "set" leading to tangles. You won't break it by hand. With care in winding and deployment I have had good success for portable use. 73 de Brian- K3ES

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

It was usable, but you do have to be careful. I'm thinking the SOTABEAMS is still the best bet for me. Thanks.

[@Matt61702]

I can across this video while I was looking for information about how the DX Engineering stealth wire compared to DavisRF Polystealth available from HRO or RF connection (also copper clad steel with a polyethylene insulation). I have used Polystealth a lot over the last year and it is fantastic. Super strong and super slippery just like you show the DXE wire to be, but it does not coil up as easily. It will kink if you don’t pay attention, but it’s not that bad. I wonder if the Polystealth is really all that different, or if your DXE wire just needs to be stretched out straight once it comes off the spool to loose some of that memory?

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I've had this antenna strung up for a while during the summer I still had trouble with it coiling. I was told that the high viz version of this wire from DX Engineering is better and doesn't coil as much.

[@Matt61702]

That’s probably down to the PVC insulation on their high visibility wire. The black wire says it uses PE which is UV resistant (PVC will eventually break down with continuous exposure to UV).