The tower is probably acting like a vertical so radials should help. I
have been leisurely (very leisurely) installing radials in very hard
clay using an edger. The blades do not last long here but it does a
nice job and I have not needed staples. Even if you don't have a lot
of them it should help that antenna.
John KK9A
Gary Johnson NA6O
The advice so far is consistent: Other than moderately deep burial, any
other radial installation will eventually become cow chow.
Some background. This is a 30 ft commercial tower on a ridge top that we
are getting a ride on. Basically we stuck a Yagi and a 40/30 dipole on
top. The land owner will not permit any kind of elevated radials nor
other vertical elements nor pretty much anything else. The only thing I
talked him into for the low bands is use of an existing 6 ft fence post
about 90 ft away, so for 80m we have a half-sloper (fed at the top of
course). Extensive simulation says that having at least a few radials
should lower the radiation angle and improve the match. But it can
function without them.
So I’ll try to do some trenching, if I can.
Gary NA6O
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