Carbon fiber vs. antennas

Orval Fairbairn
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-Nope -- carbon fiber is a conductor and behaves similarly to metal --

Sorry, Orval, that just ain't so. I've done some preliminary work with carbon
fiber and at most frequencies below VHF it isn't a conductor and it isn't an
insulator. It is a great big resistor.


-especially if you have parts of .25 wavelength. Remember -- Edison's
-first light bulbs had graphite filaments.

Nope. Linen threads dipped in carbon black. Hardly graphite.


-
-Do not let carbon parts touch aluminum, as the aluminum will corrode
-from electrolytic action. A carbon fiber plane will act as a ground
-plane for antennae, too -- as long as you have good electrical contact
-with the fibers.

That isn't so. Please don't spread misinformation unless you've DONE the tests
and can publish your test results.

Jim



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com