----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee Buller" <k0wa@swbell.net>
> Radials....
>
> My, this is a all consuming issue here on tower talk. What kind of wire
> to use? Conductive wire. Anything will do that conducts like copper. I
> would not put down nichrome wire...but I would use just about anything.
> There is no magic here. Use coax if you have it....just use the outer
> braid... or short the two conductions together. Use electric fence wire.
> Use steel...watch out for rust...and it will rust away after awhile. Use
> aluminum.
>
> Here is what I am using right now....because it was FREE! Two conductor
> (18 gauge) garage door opener wire. You know, the wire that goes from the
> button by the door to the opening unit. The stuff that is wired to the
> sensors. They give about 200 feet in each opener kit. The garage
> installer has gobs of the stuff laying around. I bet I have 15 rolls of
> the stuff. I just twist the ends together and solder them with a gun.
> Down on the ground they go. And yes, they work OK...I radiate...the MFJ
> 269 says everything is good to go...and I make gobs of contacts with it.
> I don't bury it...I don't strip it....I just lay it in the grass and use
> home made (cheap) lawn staples about every 5 feet.
>
>
> For radials....use conductive wire. Use as many as you can....32 seems to
> be the magic number but also I've heard 50 or 60 as well. If you cannot
> get a quarter wave each on the ground....do what you can....cut it off at
> the property line.
>
> Bond them together with just about anything. Remember, you will have to
> pull maintenance on antennas anyway....so revisit this often throughout
> the year. When metals are out in the elements...something is bound to
> corrode.
>
> Use anything conductive.... wire, pipe, railroad track, I-Beam ir H-Beam.
> What ever you got that is handy or cheap. I would not use chain link
> fence or chicken wire. The connections are good enough between the links
> in my opinion and dirt can cause problems in the radial.
>
> Remember, HR is not rocket science....do what works for you...what you can
> get away with...what you can afford...and remember not everyone has a
> super station or the dollars the installations is done perfectly. The
> idea is to radiate enough to work someone.
>
> Lee - K0WA
>
The problem with radials is that it is oftentimes more work to accurately
determine the minimum number necessary for a given location than it is
to just put down a whole bunch of wire and be done with it. Also, I
think everyone will agree that more radials is always better, so adding
more will never hurt system performance. It just a question of at what
point to do you reach diminishing returns. Some will argue that it is after
the 1st radial is installed. Other will argue that it is # 360 (see W8LRL
pics on K3BU's site). I agree with KN4LF that it is likely a strong
function of ground conductivity. Where I am on dry rocky soil, 361
radials might equal a rusty ground rod at the old KS8S/AD8P qth in
Deshler, Ohio where ground conductivity was super high.
BTW, at my present QTH I pretty much use Lee's philosophy - if it's
metal, tie it into the ground system - Mo' is betta! -:)
73, Mike W4EF.......................
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|