aluminum for an antenna ?

[raggedraider]

hi
i was thinking about building a bi quad.
i can get plenty of sheet aluminum , im confident i can make a good connection to the aluminum ( so no issue there ) . all other parts would be copper or non conductive .

id say the aluminum i was going to use would be at least 1/8 in .

if im shooting for ALL of the potential 9 db i might get from an ib crazy bi quad . if anyone could guess what loss there might be , if any ?


thanx
Brian

[Alex Villa]

I have seem many antennas made of aluminum.

[raggedraider]

ok
so
so much for trying to attach copper to aluminum .

next question:
can i use a screw to make connections to diss simular metal ?

and

presuming antenna builders are reading this
on the biquad , the point where the "active element" is connected to the "ground element or reflector" --i see alot of people using a copper or brass tube . --is it possible to use a brass or copper bolt , and drill out the center ? i could use a nut on the back side ( and top side ) and make the distance from reflector to element allmost adjustable ( and easier to connect ).

i suspect the speed limit sign at the end of my street is in great risk of dissappearing

[CaptnKliegle]

Dissimilar metal corrosion will happen when the junction of dissimilar metals are exposed to moisture.
You could cut/bend the aluminum and crimp it to the wire. Brass or copper foil takes solder directly, so no issues there.
Plus you can cut and trim with a good pair of scissors. Search for a coppersmith in your area, they will have copper, brass and other materials
in various thicknesses. The thinner, the better... just cut 1/4" to 3/8" wide to make them more broad banded (not such a sharp V on the SWR
curve.

Kriss KA1GJU