Bud-
Another thought. Consider using 20d Galvanized Nails and 1/4" Fender
Washers. The 20d nails are .150" dia. and 4" long. The 1/4" Fender
Washer is 1-3/8" dia. and the hole is just .210 inches, or about the
size of a #4 drill - I have no idea why they call it a 1/4" washer since
its 20% less than that.
Using this means you just have to hammer the "washered nails" in while
holding the radial wire so it is caught by the washer. If you could
find someone to rake while you pound, the task could move along nicely.
73 es good luck with the task.
Fred, W6TKV
Riverside, CA
"Bud Hippisley, K2KIR" wrote:
>
> This winter I put up a 90-foot Rohn 45 guyed tower -- partly to support my HF
> Yagis and partly to serve as my top-loaded 160-meter vertical.
>
> Because the ground was frozen by the time I could get around to putting down
> radials, I laid some temporary radials on top of the ground just before the
> first significant snowfall. Now the snow has gone (finally!) and everybody
> is tripping over the wires, so now I need to bury two or three dozen
> "permanent" radials. After looking in my junk box, the radials are most apt
> to be #12 insulated solid copper house wire (for mechanical strength) or #16
> bare solid copper wire (if I find any advantage to using it).
>
> I live in a forest, so the top surface of my yard consists of pine needles,
> clumps of moss, and numerous surface roots from pines, balsams, hemlocks, and
> an occasional hardwood. Because there are so many roots I doubt that the
> "EdgeHog" or any similar device would be of much use to me. Instead, I'm
> thinking of hand trenching with a garden trowel a foot or two at a time,
> where possible, and then using some kind of pound-in clip to hold each radial
> in place where it has to come out of the ground to go over a tree root.
> (Probably in pairs -- one on each side of the root.) Something that looks
> like a miniature tent-peg seems like it would be ideal, but I certainly can't
> afford real tent-pegs, based on the prices I've seen in area stores, and
> they're typically far too big for what I have in mind.
>
> Soooo.....I'm wondering if anyone knows of something that would do the "tie
> down" job and is readily (and cheaply) available at Lowe's, Home Depot, or
> the national hardware chains. (Whatever I use, I expect to need many
> hundreds of them.) Alternatively, has anyone ever taken a large electrical
> or construction staple and bent the sharp ends back up, so that they resist
> being removed -- much like the barb on a fish hook -- after being driven into
> the ground?
>
> Bud, K2KIR
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
> Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
> questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
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