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Topband: elevated radials dilemma

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Topband: elevated radials dilemma
From: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:58:32 -0800
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
My top loaded "T" top band vertical is up. 85' vertical, 43' each side "T" and 3 elevated 123' radials at 10 to 12'. Resonance Z is currently 36 ohms and 90KHz 2:1 swr BW. EZNEC+ shows a resonance Z of 25 ohms with 4 elevated radials, so I presume the delta is ground loss. The antenna is tree supported in a 40% grass/60% forest (hemlock. cedar, fir) area with a very wet, some standing water ground surface. Buried radials are not feasible.

I can/will add 4 more elevated 123' radials for 7 total, but am debating what to do about a 4000 sq ft all steel 13' tall nearly flat roof building within 1 quadrant of the radial field, about 60' from the antenna base. "Don't ground elevated radials" makes sense to keep antenna return currents out of the earth. However, when a large area of "perfect" grounded conductor is available, why not connect to it? (the building has steel side walls and a Ufer perimeter footing ground).

Then a secondary question is "how many elevated wires to connect to the building?" Three makes sense to me, given the angular spacing of the wires.

Can any modeling software handle such a configuration?

Whatever is up gets a try out on the CQ 160m SSB this weekend.

Grant KZ1W
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