Firecracker antennas

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What do you boys use for these?

I remember Sunrise did them, but my stash is long gone.

I need one for my S2.

[C855B]

#30 insulated solid wire.  Strip to expose the "stem" and it's real close.

I guess it would be possible to fabricate something out of Special Shapes' 1/32" brass tubing over piano wire if you want something that didn't bend so easily.

[peteski]

#30 insulated solid wire.  Strip to expose the "stem" and it's real close.

I guess it would be possible to fabricate something out of Special Shapes' 1/32" brass tubing over piano wire if you want something that didn't bend so easily.

That is what my friend uses (30 AWG wire-wrapping wire).  Cheap, easy and looks good.  The only negative is that 30 AWG copper wire is rather soft so it will bend easily (but can be straightened out just as easily).

[JanesCustomTrain]

Miniatures by Eric

https://miniatures-by-eric.myshopify.com/collections/n-scale-parts-a-to-h/products/na4-fire-cracker-antennas

Jane

[craigolio1]

I like the wire. Things that stick out get bent. If they don't want to bend they can break. The wire is easy to straighten and won't break.

Craig

[GhengisKong]

MbE is all I've ever used for firecrackers.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok. Now, next dumb question.

Common sources for 30awg wire? I'd hate to order a spool for the .125" I need.

[Missaberoad]

I used the insulation from a telephone wire put over a piece of .01 pb wire... easy to find and it looked good to me... 

[peteski]

I used the insulation from a telephone wire put over a piece of .01 pb wire... easy to find and it looked good to me...

Diameter of 30 AWG wire is 0.010".  But telephone wire is a bit ticker (I don't recall but I think it is 26 AWG)  Isn't the insulation from that wire a bit loose on a 0.010" PB wire?

@Ed Kapuscinski
A common source for small spools of Kynar 30AWG wire wrapping wire was Radio Shack.    If you still have any open stores around, you might want to check there. Still listed on their website

I have hundreds of feet (I get mine at a local surplus store). If you want, PM me and I can mail you a small bundle.  I even have some with black insulation if that would make the painting easier.

[robert3985]

What do you boys use for these?

I remember Sunrise did them, but my stash is long gone.

I need one for my S2.

Ed, Way back when I hadn't settled on an era, I was modeling "modern" UP diesels with firecracker antennae.  At the time, nobody made any of 'em, and I was producing investment cast HO detail parts in my garage in my spare time, so I decided to make some lost-wax N-scale parts, firecracker antennae being one of them.

Having been packing up everything in boxes and moving to a new residence in the past two months, I am not 100% sure where those firecrackers are, but I am pretty sure I know.  I'll have to dig through some boxes, but I'll send you one or two if you want.  I made the master include the square sheet metal base of the prototype and I don't have any photos of the part before it's mounted and painted but here are a couple of photos showing it mounted on an Overland Centennials and on several brass and plastic diesels I superdetailed running on my old Wilhemina Pass/Devils Slide Ntrak module years ago.

Photo (1) - MOPAC SD50 leads various engines eastward at the 1000 Mile Tree Monument in Wilhemina Pass sometime in the 1980's:


Photo (2) - Superdetailed Overland Centennials showing my lost-wax brass firecracker antenna prominently displayed on top of the cabs:


If you want a couple of these, PM me and I'll dig 'em out and send 'em to you Monday or Tuesday.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Missaberoad]

Diameter of 30 AWG wire is 0.010".  But telephone wire is a bit ticker (I don't recall but I think it is 26 AWG)  Isn't the insulation from that wire a bit loose on a 0.010" PB wire?

I think its 24awg iirc but I stand to be corrected, it was hanging on the wall and was free 

Whatever slop was there was easily filled up by the CA I attached it with. I would take a picture but I think the model is at my Dads house back in Winnipeg... 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thanks for all the suggestions and offers. I really do appreciate it!

I'm gonna try cutting up some phone cord first (I have plenty around and very few uses for it anymore), and if that doesn't work, I will hit you guys up.

In case you're wondering what I'm doing, I'm applying the radio box and antenna to my new S2.

You can see the setup pretty clearly here: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1783214

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[peteski]

Thanks for all the suggestions and offers. I really do appreciate it!

I'm gonna try cutting up some phone cord first (I have plenty around and very few uses for it anymore), and if that doesn't work, I will hit you guys up.

To clarify, the phone wire discussed here is not the standard flexible cord with modular connectors which connects a land line phone with the wall jack. That uses a very flexible stranded wire. We are talking about the 4-conductor cable which is used as house wiring, connecting the wall jack to the telephone interface box outside your house.  This is much stiffer cable which uses solid wire.

[nkalanaga]

Basically the same "phone wire" was used in old computer cables, before everything became USB-compatible.  Most of my feeder wires are taken from leftovers, a foot or so long, from when they rewired the bank computer room 30+ years ago.  All color coded, 25 pairs to a cable, each pair different colors.  If you can find some of that, you'll be set for life.

One pair, gray and white striped, has gray almost exactly the same as UP's.  Each pair is color+white striped, one wire wide color/narrow white, the other wide white/narrow color.

[peteski]

You make a good point Nick - small piece of any standard flavor of CAT5 Ethernet cable should do the trick.