Cool. I've worked around the big stuff in RF amps and tuners.
PA power-supply.
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This site was the lightning.

That's a big tank!

 

Somehow I missed this thread but what you probably want is Copperweld, and DX Engineering also has all the items you will need for mounting and feeding the antenna.

There are many varieties of "copperweld" wire. Soe seem to rust after only a few months, while one batch I got that was apparently recovered telegraph wire removed from poles after many years, still had a very thick copper coating. It was about #10 wire size, with a strong steel core.

 

There are many varieties of "copperweld" wire. Soe seem to rust after only a few months, while one batch I got that was apparently recovered telegraph wire removed from poles after many years, still had a very thick copper coating. It was about #10 wire size, with a strong steel core.

For experimenting i use whatever is inexpensive, for permanent i use hard drawn copper wire (caution, needs lots of tension as it is very stiff) however the supplier i used in the UK are not stocking antenna wire at the moment as i checked with them recently. I'm glad i got a spool of 200M when i did. I have some smaller lengths of power line cable (probably 2pieces 6M long) but it is huge so best stripped and used for smaller projects. I was thinking about experimenting with stainless cable. Apparently if impedence differences are accounted for it can be used at certain frequencies in certain applications without too much of a compromise (more research / experimenting needed).

 

I have wondered about the military surplus dipoles that have two reels of stainless steel tape that can be set to any length. Perhaps they are some different alloy with lower resistance? I have a roll of stainless steel banding strap, about 0.75 by 0.015 inch thick that certainly could make an adjustable length dipole, but I am thinking that it would be more like a radiating dummy load resistor. It is a softer alloy, unfortunately I have no clue as to which variety.
Has anybody tried this material as a dipole?

 

There are many varieties of "copperweld" wire. Soe seem to rust after only a few months, while one batch I got that was apparently recovered telegraph wire removed from poles after many years, still had a very thick copper coating. It was about #10 wire size, with a strong steel core.

Copperweld is a trademark. Actual Copperweld is good stuff and lasts a very long time. It is particularly good for long dipoles since it can take the tension easily.

 

RE: Apache Kid.
Thanks a lot for brilliant link. I mean https://sz1a.org/en/featured-articles/whats-the-best-wire-for-a-dipole-video/
That compass to my experience BUT I jumped one halfstep more far. The first idea came when I made the perfect GroundPlane to yacht mast. Just I took the alu pipes of fine diameter and made everything with maximum care and calculating all I can. But in the nresult my VNA show a catastrophy - about 6 was VSWR. So, I had a feeling that probably too long stay in the shelves (more than 60 years) that pipes was bit too much oxidized. I tried to sliff the surface lightly with medium roughness sandpaper. Result - VSWR=2. Then I polished it very carefully with No 1500 paper and got VSWR=1.15. Applied bit aerosol lack and still there was 1.18. I am very much sure that different results of article mentioned sensitivity may be product of how well clean or contrary oxidized was the wire surface. Logically, the sample 2 in insulation had better surface than sample 1 what had at air oxidized surface.

 

SamR - the NanoVNA You reccomended, sad to note, belong to first generation VNA, whilst already a year or rather two are having the second generation twin at most of the shops like ebay or aliexpress. Good things - 4.3 inch screen is much better than those damn small 2.5 and 1.5 inch what are cheapest. Yet, if them cost 20-30 USD then why to pay more at Amazon (what is terrifying expensive shop by the nature, having only one good thing - the fast speed of delivery). What means the second generation - it means 3.5 GHz the upper freq.... thus ability to work with 2.4 GHz range what is obviously important diapazone. But I agree with You for 120% that NanoVNA, one or another is must-to-be in each antenna man pocket.

 

Yep, I had the whizbang idea "hey, if all this stuff on Amazon is coming from china..." and started buying directly from china instead saving quite a few bucks by being patient for the slow boat to arrive. Things like the VNA and Transistor tester are and have gone through several iterations and they still just continue to improve them. My one experience with copper clad wire was a bad one and for ~50 years now I've been using a spool of NEC rated THHN/THWN stranded 12AWG from the local general electrical supplies house to build my dipoles and assorted other antennas without any problems whatsoever other than the outer clear plastic layer of the insulation cracking and peeling but not the PVC colored layer. They have survived hurricanes when the trees they were attached to didn't!