Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] Number of Radials and what lengths vertical 80m up.

To: Charles Morrison <junkcmp@gmail.com>, W1JCW John <W1JCW@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Number of Radials and what lengths vertical 80m up.
From: Kirk Kleinschmidt via TowerTalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Reply-to: Kirk Kleinschmidt <sohosources@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2018 16:39:08 +0000 (UTC)
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Hello from MN,
Last season, for the first time in 41 years on the air, I installed a "short" 
inverted-L. The vertical portion was 25 feet, with the rest of the 
horizontal-ish wire (104 feet total) running toward a nearby treetop. An SGC 
SG-239 autocoupler was installed at the base, and the antenna was used on 
160-40 meters. I put down 32, 50-foot radials (on ground). This was a "test" 
antenna (BIGGER version going up this year), but compared to the usual 
horizontally polarized antennas on the low bands, it worked wonders.
I worked 160 WAS QRP in two months (CW). My QRP low-band DXCC totals went from 
1 to 16 (160m); 45 (80m); 60 (40m). No FT8, BTW, although I have been playing 
around with it. 

I chose my radials based on Rudy's papers, available space, and cost (aluminum 
electric fence wire, which was practically free). The rule of thumb is to use 
LOTS of shorter radials if you can't install LOTS of full-size radials. In my 
limited experience, lots of shorter, non-resonant, on-ground radials 
outperforms the usual four quarter-wave radials.
Others may chime in with more specific comments regarding the STEPPIR and what 
it requires for radials, but you may want to consider the "32x50 approach," or 
something similar.

Regards,
Kirk, NT0ZRochester, MN

My book, "Stealth Amateur Radio," is now available from www.stealthamateur.com 
and on the Amazon Kindle (soon) 

    On Wednesday, August 22, 2018 10:51 AM, Charles Morrison 
<junkcmp@gmail.com> wrote:
 

 I think the manual says four radials per band

On Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 11:50 AM W1JCW John <W1JCW@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Putting a steppIR Big IR 80m - 6m.
>
> What length of radials should I put on and what lengths?
>
> Have room for several and wanted to see a few schools of thought of
> lengths and how many.
>
> Thanks
>
>
> 73-
> W1JCW
> John
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk


   
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>