quality trailer light wire?

[H.A.]

Odd you should say that, I spent 38 years in telecommunications and NEVER once saw copper coated steel wire used in any place..... It just does not meet industry standards....
Dale

Industry Standards ?
I dunno, We Riding Big Yellow Vehicles installed thousands if not millions of miles all over N. America...
Declining in service for sure, But a huge percentage is still active.
Its still available to buy, But dont think much is installed nowdays, Kevlar with twisted multipair copper has been a defacto replacement the past 20 years or so...

Anyway back to wire corrosion within its insulation. Often result poor manufacturing. Low purity conductor, Contamination of conductor before going thru insulation extrusion process, or contaminates within the plastic insulation its self.
I can imagine what quality controls a thirdworld wire & cable factory might look like...
Harbor freight sources its products from where ???

Some insulation, primarily rubber will oxidise copper. Its inherent in chemistry of most rubber, sometimes steps are made to reduce this oxidation by covering the copper with cotton threads or paper before coating is applied.
None the less, Quality rubber insulated wire will last decades in a proper environment.

[Dale M.]

Odd you should say that, I spent 38 years in telecommunications and NEVER once saw copper coated steel wire used in any place..... It just does not meet industry standards....
Dale

Industry Standards ?
I dunno, We Riding Big Yellow Vehicles installed thousands if not millions of miles all over N. America...
Declining in service for sure, But a huge percentage is still active.
Its still available to buy, But dont think much is installed nowdays, Kevlar with twisted multipair copper has been a defacto replacement the past 20 years or so...

Anyway back to wire corrosion within its insulation. Often result poor manufacturing. Low purity conductor, Contamination of conductor before going thru insulation extrusion process, or contaminates within the plastic insulation its self.
I can imagine what quality controls a thirdworld wire & cable factory might look like...
Harbor freight sources its products from where ???

Some insulation, primarily rubber will oxidise copper. Its inherent in chemistry of most rubber, sometimes steps are made to reduce this oxidation by covering the copper with cotton threads or paper before coating is applied.
None the less, Quality rubber insulated wire will last decades in a proper environment.

Not to be argumentative, but I've never seen your BIG YELLOW VEHICLES (unless you are referring to "cable plows") so I have not a clue to who you are.... I spent 38 years working for Western Electric Co. Inc., then AT&T Network Systems and finally Lucent Technologies, we installed microwave systems, central office switching system, fiber optic system, emergency back up power systems and never through all my years did we use any copper clad steel wire.....

Dale

[H.A.]

Not to be argumentative, but I've never seen your BIG YELLOW VEHICLES (unless you are referring to "cable plows") so I have not a clue to who you are.... I spent 38 years working for Western Electric Co. Inc., then AT&T Network Systems and finally Lucent Technologies, we installed microwave systems, central office switching system, fiber optic system, emergency back up power systems and never through all my years did we use any copper clad steel wire.....
Dale

"We Ride Big Yellow Vehicles" is one of the popular mnemonic / nursery rhymes to remember the sequence White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet.(Some folks used "Vans" in place of "vehicles"...)

The copper plated steel cable referenced is commonly known as "drop wire' or lesser known as "downlead".
Nowdays mostly surpassed by a copper twisted multi-pair, messenger support by kevlar yarn
Its the stuff what connects a subscriber premises to a terminal on aerial outside plant.

Its Ok, Lots of otherwise smart folks never stepped outside a C.O.

Btw. Copper plated steel also widely used for military field telephones. A slightly different construction, But its steel component serves the same purpose as it does in downlead cable.

[Dale M.]

Not to be argumentative, but I've never seen your BIG YELLOW VEHICLES (unless you are referring to "cable plows") so I have not a clue to who you are.... I spent 38 years working for Western Electric Co. Inc., then AT&T Network Systems and finally Lucent Technologies, we installed microwave systems, central office switching system, fiber optic system, emergency back up power systems and never through all my years did we use any copper clad steel wire.....
Dale

"We Ride Big Yellow Vehicles" is one of the popular mnemonic / nursery rhymes to remember the sequence White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet.(Some folks used "Vans" in place of "vehicles"...)

The copper plated steel cable referenced is commonly known as "drop wire' or lesser known as "downlead".
Nowdays mostly surpassed by a copper twisted multi-pair, messenger support by kevlar yarn
Its the stuff what connects a subscriber premises to a terminal on aerial outside plant.

Its Ok, Lots of otherwise smart folks never stepped outside a C.O.

Btw. Copper plated steel also widely used for military field telephones. A slightly different construction, But its steel component serves the same purpose as it does in downlead cable.

When I was in military commo wire had 3 strands of copper and 4-5 strands of steel.... Copper for conductivity, steel for strength....

Dale