[TowerTalk] Staples for radials

[Red <RedHaines@centurytel.net>]

I've also stapled radials into the lawn several times.  At present, I 
have 66 radials, each 66 feet long extending from a vertical.  They 
required over 400 staples to pin that many radials close to uneven lawn 
surface.

I made the staples from steel wire, about #14, from a farm supply 
store.  That size is easy to cut and bend but stiff enough to do the job.

I cut the wire into 6" lengths and bent a 'U' at one end of each.  To 
bend the 'U", I clamped two nails about 1/4" apart in a vise to serve as 
a bending jig.  It didn't take long.

I mowed the grass short, attached the radials to a grounding plate 
(about 4' square) under the vertical, using hardware and compounds to 
minimize corrosion, stretched the radials to surveyed flags (surveying 
them can be accomplished quite adequately with a stout cord and simply 
space the flags around the circumference with a tape), and pinned the 
ends of the radials with nails.  I was using enameled wire which is 
sufficiently visible to make it easy to follow each radial and pin it 
with staples every few feet or at every low spot.

As has been mentioned, the grass soon grows around the radials and holds 
them fairly securely.  I've had no problem snagging them and can mow as 
closely as I wish.

If you wish to use a vertical, install radials as best as you can.  Many 
is more important than long, especially for any vertical with high 
ground current near its base, like 3/8 wave or shorter.

73 de WOØW


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