Jim,
It won't make any measurable difference if you use bare
or insulated wire for radials above or below ground.
The #18 wire will work well for buried radials, but at the
base of the antenna be sure to leave a little slack
to take any strain off the connection should the ground
shift due to freeze/thaw, etc. Yes, you can just lay
them on the ground and they'll mostly just disappear
into the sod in a single growing season. You can "pin" them
down close to the ground with some homebrew "staples".
With 30K feet at your disposal you could make a super
radial system.
73,
Charile, N0TT
On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 08:08:43 -0800 (PST) Jim Hoge <knowkode@sbcglobal.net>
writes:
> Greetings,
>
> Can I expect any noticable difference using an insulated wire for
> radials? Theoretically, the velocity factor of the insulation will
> make the physical length shorter but is a tuned 1/4 wave radial
> length that important when it is buried or laid on ground? The plan
> is to use 18ga awb, of which I have some 30k feet at my disposal.
>
> tnx,
> Jim W5QM
> _______________________________________________
> 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. -
> TF4M
>
>
_______________________________________________
160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
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