g5rv wire gauge question?

[VE7REN]

does it or is there any real benfit or negative effect of running 14 or16 or 18 gauge wire for the antenna.solid or stranded? i have a 14 g up right now. made from 14/2 household electrical wire, and it works fine. so the question is ,would i be better off with a lighter gauge or stranded copper instead?? does it matter?my antenna hangs 32ft,and north to south. not really inveted to much ,as my property is sloped upwards from the house. what could i do to help myself out,to get better tx/rx?

[KZ1X]

Changing the wire gauge won't make much difference (except in mechanical durability, maybe an issue for you in VE land), but getting the antenna up higher definitely will.

[VE6XL]

I agree with KZ1X.

There would be no observable change when switching between 14, 16 or 18 gauge wire.  Switching from solid to stranded also makes no difference.

Having the wire stand up to wind and adverse weather is important.  As already suggested height really plays a role and will improve performance.

VE6XL
www.ve6xl.ca

[KB4QAA]

Last winter there was a discussion of the effect of wire size on performance.   A graph was provided that showed minimal losses as long as wire size was 26AWG or greater.

Just build it!  :-)

bill