I am trying to find a material suitable for a custom whip antenna...
Something that is flexible so it will deflect when bent slightly but
still can be bent into a spiral....
The antenna will be 19" long, vertical, and mounted on a car, so it needs to be stiff enough to withstand wind and an occasional whack with something... I will mount it on a hinged pin so I can drop it when I need to....
Brass or copper is commonly used for this except that it needs an outer plastic sheath to protect it. I cannot use brass since I want the antenna to be exposed...
I thought of titanium and/or stainless, but I don't know enough about metals to make a judgement.... I can buy 1/8" titanium round 6Al-4V pretty cheaply (about $20 for enough material for 2 antennas) but I don't know if that will work, or if the titanium can be bent into the shapes required.
The drawings and bend radii are shown here:
http://www.seiner.com/antenna_pics/coil_jig.jpg
http://www.seiner.com/antenna_pics/coil_measurements.jpg
and the full assembly is shown here:
http://www.seiner.com/antenna_pics/Full_assy_diag.jpg
I would appreciate any suggestions or pointers, or comments.
The antenna will be 19" long, vertical, and mounted on a car, so it needs to be stiff enough to withstand wind and an occasional whack with something... I will mount it on a hinged pin so I can drop it when I need to....
Brass or copper is commonly used for this except that it needs an outer plastic sheath to protect it. I cannot use brass since I want the antenna to be exposed...
I thought of titanium and/or stainless, but I don't know enough about metals to make a judgement.... I can buy 1/8" titanium round 6Al-4V pretty cheaply (about $20 for enough material for 2 antennas) but I don't know if that will work, or if the titanium can be bent into the shapes required.
The drawings and bend radii are shown here:
and the full assembly is shown here:
I would appreciate any suggestions or pointers, or comments.