More elegant would be to use a single braid Vectran. It would take some
patience but you could feed the wire up through the core. I still see
several potential problems.

The first is the termination. Arimids and other high tech lines like
PBO require equal tension on all fibers to maintain rated strength.
Small eye splices will cut strength considerably. Special terminations
that pot the fibers inside a hollow steel fitting are available but cost
more than an insulator and must be factory installed.

The second is stretch. No matter how high the modulus of the fiber,
braided line will creep. The Kevlar 49 stays on boats like the Volvo
Ocean 70's is parallel fiber inside a polyethylene cover. A backstay
cost as much as a pretty decent crosscut mainsail.

BTW, composite steering cables are rarely Kevlar. With the exception of
Technora, arimid fibers have a tendency to chafe against each other when
the line is routinely flexed under tension as around steering sheaves.
Vectran and Technora are the preferred fibers for that application.

maxlynn wrote:

Okay, now that you have given your opinion on Kevlar as a backstay, how
about addressing the original question - i.e., is there any conceptual
problem with wrapping a bare copper wire around it and using it for an
antenna? Has anyone done this?

And, oh by the way, how would you feel about using Kevlar as a substitute
for 1x19 in steering cables? Would it shock you to know that many boats are
using Kevlar in this highly critical application? And have been doing it
successfully for over ten years now? Use as a backstay is pretty mundane
by comparison. And others have been using it for a similar period as
backstay material. And contrary to what you suggest, the lifetime and other
properties of Kevlar are well understood.


--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com