> From: "Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj@hotmail.com>
>
>> There is a lot of incorrect information out there on this topic that can
>> mislead hams, especially new ones. Only a month ago, QST no less,
>> published
>> an article on an inverted L antenna for 160 m. in which the author wrote
>> that any number of radials, even a few is okay. This is frankly not
>> true.
>> I was amazed that the editors of QST would publish such a statement but
>> they
>> did. Here is a direct quote from the article on p. 55 of the Feb. 2007
>> QST:
>>
>> "For verticlal radiators (including slopers), lay out radials if you
>> can --
>> one or more of any length and configuration. Don't be discouraged if you
>> hear that anything less than (take your pick: 25, 50, 120 and such) will
>> be
>> useless. Baloney,! Try whatever you can --- even none!"
>>
>> Perpetuating this sort of "anything works" attitude only leads to more
>> hams
>> operating with poor signals that the rest of us must either work to copy
>> or
>> give up on.
It's amazing how soon we forget our roots. While Rob is indeed correct in
the sentiment that more is better, he's off-base in the idea that unless you
can put down the perfect radial field, don't even bother.
If all you can do is a small installation, understand that it's not going to
work as well as a larger one, but don't let the absence of perfection keep
you off the air. It will work. How well it will work is another matter. But
then, that's all part of the experimentation process that many of us joined
this hobby to be part of.
So many variables impact your signal strength at the other end that for
anyone to say you're weak because your antenna is bad strikes me as a gross
oversimplification. From here, I've heard some of the biggest stations in
North America at the noise level or below.
If the best you can do isn't good enough for someone, too bad for him!
73, kelly
ve4xt
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