On 2012-02-10, at 11:34 AM, Herb Schoenbohm wrote:
> One advantage of using insulate wire is that the velocity factor of the wire
> on ground or (ROG) allows for shorter lengths. This is important if you
> have limited yard space.
Hi Herb,
Interesting point...!
According to either the ARRL "ANTENNA HANDBOOK", or ON4UN's "LOW-BAND DX
HANDBOOK", the velocity factor of insulated wire placed atop the ground is
50%...
I take that to mean that a 1/8-wave PHYSICALLY long wire radial has the
ELECTRICAL equivalency of a wire radial that is 1/4-wave long...
Maybe THAT'S the reason why I employ a total of 24 insulated radial wires, 65'
long (each) beneath my "L" elements...it may not be an "exact science", but
hope springs eternal...! (Besides, have you seen the price of copper wire
lately...?!). : >)
~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
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