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Topband: Radials - open ended or tied together in a gridqrrtangement??

To: "James Rodenkirch" <rodenkirch_llc@msn.com>, "Top Band Contesting" <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: Radials - open ended or tied together in a gridqrrtangement??
From: "Bruce" <k1fz@myfairpoint.net>
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 12:43:24 -0500
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Jim,

Think of a cage connection rather than a single wire to a shunt fed tower and its benefit. The cage larger diameter causes an impedance change and also makes it a more broad-banded fat conductor. Benefits of a in ground grid have been established. A partial grid connected to radials already in place would not be a negative. Antennas that are fat the entire length have a lower Q, lower impedance at the far end, and are wider in frequency.

I think of my in ground  radial system  system in a similar fashion.

My ground radial system has a perimeter wire and has worked well. Working in the DX contest this weekend on 160 meters with 100 watts. Only a few request for a call repeat. The best benefit of a perimeter wire : ... It allows each wire to be individually disconnected at the tower base. The disconnected wire can be checked with an ohmmeter against the remaining radials to confirm continuity. I check them every few years, and pull any broken wires up to splice or replace.

73
Bruce-K1FZ
www.qsl.net/k1fz/beveragenotes.html








I wonder if there is supporting analysis for connecting the radial ends??
I have around 80 elevated radials that range from 50 foot lengths, running east and west, and 25 foot lengths running north and south (all of that a function of being geographically challenged). I have not tied the bitter ends together....never really thought about it when I put the radial field together but seem to recall reading something about tieing the ends together and having a well bounded complete "grid" underthe antenna.
Thoughts? I tend to think it wouldn't hurt...  72, Jim Rodenkirch K9JWV


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