> >Does anyone see any advantages or drawbacks (functionally) to using >stranded wire for a primary instead of copper tubing? I was going to >use 1/4" tube, but have a boatload of 6awg stranded wire sitting >here, which will be an awful lot easier to work with, and I figure >that I can strip an inch or so of insulation on the outer turns for >the taps, leaving the rest insulated.
Tom,
For my TT-42 coil which uses solid insulated wire, I cut away the insulation at offset spots for each turn. In other words just one area is stripped on each turn. The spots are offset by 1" or so back and forth from one turn to the next. In some cases I stripped some wire at the opposite side of the primary for 1/2 turn tuning increments. If the primary uses at least 14 turns or so, then 1/2 turn increments is probably sufficient. You can do the initial tuning using 1 turn increments. Once you get close you can strip some wire at 1/2 turn increments. My primary is close-wound with the turns touching each other so I didn't have much room to work with.