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TopBand: How many radials ?

To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: TopBand: How many radials ?
From: nx1g@top.monad.net (Craig Clark)
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 10:04:16 -0500
At 11:49 PM 10/20/96 +0000, you wrote:
>> Next question: Do you see a difference in impedance after a heavy
>> rain? Would sprinkling rock salt into the soil help to improve
>> ground conductivity?
>> 
>
>
>Didn't Tesla use a ground system similar to this?  I think he put a 
>large plate into the ground mounted vertically.  He then filled in the 
>rest of the hole with a mixture of dirt and salt.  Then one could keep 
>adding salt

You could add salt but it would not be environmentally a good idea. If you
look at OLD ARRL antenna books, you'll see a ground rod with a trench around
it. The recommendation was to fill the hole with Copper Sulphate (a salt)
and plenty of H2O

With all the restrictions we now have, I wouldn't recommend it!

As an aside, my grandparents had a cottage on Long Island Sound in Westport,
CT. When it was my families turn, I would move my station and operate
portable. I used a Hy-Gain 18V with a number of radials for 40 and 20 under
it. The VSWR would change on approx  6 hour cycles. It took a bit of
thinking......but when the tide was in, it went down; tide was out, it shot
up considerably. 

So an antenna in the marshes in SFO bay, WCBS in LI Sound, WOR in the
marshes of NJ is a great idea. The best I an do now is a fresh water swamp...

73 all

Craig


                        Craig Clark
                     soon to be ex-NX1G
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                        Radio Bookstore
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