Hi all,
Brass solders well and being stiff makes excellent short antenna elements, don't carry it to extremes for weight consideration. FYI, the perfect little groundplane can be made with an SO-239 and 1/16" non fluxed brazing rod. Just shove the coax up through a 1 1/4" mast and it sits nicely on top, just don't forget the silicone "rubber" sealant and wrap the connector with vinyl electrical tape military style. I just hope the radio operator was trained in field repairs, hard to tell with those module jockeys these days. (;->)
BTW, my first one was made with 12ga solid copper wire which also fits well but it was a BIG mistake. The first strong wind turned it into a pretzel. We hams are rather fond of Yagi beams made with brazing rod and broom sticks, don't forget the water sealant, we came a long way from when we used spar varnish. BTW, you can use PVC tubing and we're rather fond of putting antennas inside it and using it for coil forms. Some is conductive so test a small bit in a microwave oven first, put in a glass of water to absorb excess energy and protect the magnetron. If the tubing softens and/or melts it's unsuitable for RF work.
The bottom line is be creative!
