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« on: October 14, 2013, 2351 UTC »
1. Chris' suggestion about using coax to get the antenna away from the house will definitely make a big difference in reducing noise, so maybe along the back of your property. I would keep it away from power lines and away from your air conditioner. Some kind of balun or unun will also help to keep noise from the coax shield from getting into the radio. Also, running the coax on the ground (not suspended) to the house will help keep noise from the shield to a minimum. Actually, having the antenna and the coax on the ground is the simplest installation (zero supports needed) and greatly reduces the chance of a lightning strike.
2. Stranded will likely not break as easily as solid, but stranded can also get noisy if the wire oxidizes and the strands rub against each other. I generally use solid 14AWG THHN insulated. Use copper or copper-clad wire.
With the current cost of copper wire, I recommend using whichever you have on hand or whichever you can get the best deal on.
3. thechoat describes what I do. I have a spare piece of wood flooring cut to the width of the window. Drill a hole in the board big enough to fit the coax through and close the window on the board.
Also, MFJ makes similar metallic window entry panels.
I also must echo Chris' remark about considering some sort of lightning protection.
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