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Old 10-Jun-2012, 5:24 PM   #1
Hod
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Wink Aluminum vs Copper Antennas

How come indoor antennas are made of aluminum, and aluminum is not a good conductor. Does anyone know if aluminum is a good air receiver antenna? I can understand why an outdoor antenna might be made of aluminum because of the outside corrosion exposure. I have thought about copper indoor antennas. Copper is a lot better conductor than aluminum. Would copper be a good indoor TV antenna?
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Old 10-Jun-2012, 6:10 PM   #2
GroundUrMast
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The conductivity of copper is better than aluminum but the difference in total resistance over the length of an antenna element is only going to be a few 1/1000ths of an ohm at the most. That tiny amount of additional resistance has no practical effect on the efficiency of a receiving antenna operating at a nominal 75Ω.

By far and away, mounting location and basic antenna design are going to be overwhelmingly more significant factors affecting reception results.

If you wish to build an antenna using copper, no harm... but don't expect a measurable difference in performance compared to an identical aluminum antenna.
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Last edited by GroundUrMast; 10-Jun-2012 at 6:18 PM.
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Old 11-Jun-2012, 1:03 PM   #3
Hod
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Thanks, Groundurmast. Appreciate the comments.
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