There are definitive studies which show that for a few radials making them
long does not do as much as making them half as long and doubling the number...
i.e. twice the number of radials for the same total wire length improves your
far field strength......
I know it seems counter intuitive, but physics often is...
You need a dense mat close in at the feed point to gather the return currents
so for the first 30 radials 1/8 wave is sufficient... Once you hit the 30
radial mark, then you can go back and start adding longer radials in-between
the short radials you started with... Then if you get sufficient radials down,
60+, there will be a further, but small, increase in efficiency by adding on
to the end of the shorter radials...
There is no need in a ham antenna installation for all the radials to be the
same length... And you can spread the installation out over time... Your
first 30 short radials will be the most bang for your buck... Also, there is
nothing magical about 1/4 or 1/2 wave for radials... As soon as you lay a
reasonant length of wire on the ground it is no longer resonant at the
frequency you thought it was...
Read the writings of Rudy, N6LP and you will be well ahead of the game...
http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/
denny / k8do
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
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