From:
Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105 * 617/259-0088
e-mail: k1vr@juno.com
Big antennas, high in the sky, are better than small ones, low.
>> > In a recent posting N6RK inquired about methods of installing
>radials in
>> > the ground.
>
>(SNIP)
>
>>From the "I remember seeing somewhere" department:
>
>An article that set the premise for the following method by asking
>the reader to recall shooting arrows at a target, and subsequently
>having to retrieve those that had gone in to the grass at a shallow
>angle.
>
>The author's point was that by sharpening a short section of dowel,
>attaching wire to a hole in the opposite end, and then beginning at
>the base of the vertical, "sewing" the wire through the grass, below
>the thatch, one could install radials without digging, and with
>little fear of either tripping over or mowing the wire. The final
>step was to use the dowel at the end of the run as a stake, driven
>into the ground and anchoring the wire end.
>
>I never tried it, but it seemed like a good idea. Of course I'll
>never forget the April, 1976, edition of QST that had a super sharp
>CW filter for headphones... That seemed like a good idea, too! (in
>fact, I'm still not convinced it wouldn't work!)
>
>73, Rod N4SI
> The DXer formerly known as N9AKE
> (c) 5 November, 1996
K1VR relates: That's my method. I use a four foot and thin ground rod,
which I slightly curved (so that it would come back up out of the
ground). Drill a hole at one end and sharpen the other end. Remember to
wear gloves, and bring a small block of wood to push on the rod (saves
the palm of your hand). "Sewing" takes a whole lot longer than merely
laying the radial on the ground and letting the grass grow up around it,
but it prevents your wife from killing you after she trips while crossing
the lawn. In the woods, the job is much easier, as you will be sewing
through "duff" (the leaves, pine needles, and other decaying matter)
instead of tightly packed dirt with grass.
The other problem with the "lay it down and the grass will grow up"
method is that you are limited to putting your radials down at exactly
the right time, and we all know that hams never do anything at the
optimum time (which is why I'll be working on my 40-2CD this winter).
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