TV Fool  

Go Back   TV Fool > Over The Air Services > Special Topics > Antennas

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 10-Jun-2012, 6:24 PM   #1
Hod
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 8
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?
Hod is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-Jun-2012, 7:10 PM   #2
GroundUrMast
Moderator
 
GroundUrMast's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Greater Seattle Area
Posts: 4,773
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.
__________________
If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)

(Please direct account activation inquiries to 'admin')

Last edited by GroundUrMast; 10-Jun-2012 at 7:18 PM.
GroundUrMast is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-Jun-2012, 2:03 PM   #3
Hod
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 8
Thanks, Groundurmast. Appreciate the comments.
Hod is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
aluminum, antenna, copper

Go Back   TV Fool > Over The Air Services > Special Topics > Antennas



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off




All times are GMT. The time now is 1:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright © TV Fool, LLC