Well, with that amount of copper you are all set. 30 or more radials,
each 50 feet long at 80 meters will make a pretty decent ground.
Good luck!
Ralph Matheny
K8RYU
207 Gibbons Place
Marietta Ohio 45750
mathenyr@marietta.edu
On Thu, 19 Feb 2009, Bill Aycock wrote:
> Thanks, Ralph, and more thanks to several others. I got several answers,
> most of which I have answered already, directly.
>
> A humorous product of this query and the answers was a realization,
> stimulated by some comments about wire size, that I had enough 4 strand
> copper to lay a pretty good field, according to the tables in chapter 3 of
> the Antenna book.
>
> Several years ago the local phone company laid a temporary line to my house,
> above ground, until they could trench in a permanent replacement. The line
> was four strands in a circular plastic sheath, over 1600 ft. long, and was
> abandoned by the Phone people. I saved it by walking the 1600+ ft, looping
> it as I went. It has been in plain sight, on a shelf on the back porch,
> since.
>
> If I go by the book, I can lay 36 radials, with a total length of 5.4
> wavelengths at the low end of 80M. Each radial would have four strands of
> insulated Copper.
>
> Thanks to all. Bill-W4BSG
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ralph Matheny" <mathenyr@marietta.edu>
> To: "Bill Aycock" <baycock@hughes.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 10:26 AM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Radial material choice and effect
>
>
>> Well, wisdon says that only copper lasts. However, when I was a kid
>> (1960) I put up a 33 foot vertical and a few radials, made of Aluminum
>> wire. About 5 years ago, after my dad died, we were closing out the
>> house and I was asked to move some shrubs to my mother's new QTH. I found
>> some of those radial wires, gave a yank...and they were all in good shape
>> right back to the site of the old antenna!!
>>
>> I think it depends on your soil conditions and the alloy of the wires you
>> use. I don't have any really good info on the topic that is based on
>> science, but if I were making a vertical and had a bunch of aluminum wire,
>> I'd give it a shot. make your connections ABOVE ground, where you can
>> keep an eye on what is going on. The difference between the conductivity
>> of Aluminum and copper won't kill you. I'd go with several extra radials
>> if you use the alum, that way a failure won't hurt as much.
>>
>> Ralph Matheny
>> K8RYU
>> 207 Gibbons Place
>> Marietta Ohio 45750
>> mathenyr@marietta.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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