The skil-saw is a waste of time/money/energy.
Simply using a weighted, flat bed made of wood and having a 'keel
blade' made of steel or thick aluminum is sufficient to make the cut
in the ground.
A steel or aluminum guide tube, immediately behind the 'keel' will
plant the radials as deep as the tube 'rides'.
Mine leave radials about 4-6 inches deep.
Don
N8DE
Quoting Bill Cotter <n4lg@qx.net>:
> Several years ago, a fellow ham here in KY was figuring out how to
> get hundreds of radials under his array. He didn't want to lay them
> on the surface, and have the grass 'absorb' them, but rather he
> wanted them in the soil an inch or two. He had no intention of
> plowing or trenching by hand, so he figured out a clever design of
> a radial installation tool.
>
> What he did was to purchase a cheap electric 'skil saw' from
> K-mart, and installed a carbide blade. He built a wooden frame that
> held the saw, a roll of #16, a steel guide tube, wheels and weights.
>
> He attached the wire exiting from the steel tube to the vertical
> element, and would pull this contraption away from the radiator to
> it's final distance. The reel of wire played out through the steel
> tube that followed in the cut trench. At the end, he simply snipped
> the wire, and started over with the next radial.
>
> It sounds dangerous, but from what I saw it was very controlled
> cutting, placement of the wire, and the weight of the machine kept
> the blade in the ground a good three inches.
>
> 73 bill n4lg
>
>
> At 11:00 AM 11/18/2007, Dan Hearn wrote:
>> I recall that many years ago someone in one of the ham magazines
>> showed a
>> radial planting device which was mounted to a low platform with
>> wheels that
>> could be towed like a trailer. He used one of his kids sitting on the
>> platform to hold it down. This might be the simplist way to plant
>> radials.
>> 73, Dan, N5AR
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
>> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com]On Behalf Of AD5VJ Bob
>> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 7:52 PM
>> To: 'Joe Wilkowski'; K2EK@aol.com; towertalk@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Cable Treatment Suggestions
>>
>>
>> Now this is truly worth mentioning. Thanks for the idea. I am
>> going to work
>> on something I hope I can pull behind my riding lawn
>> mower. I have been trying to think of a way to do it economically
>> and this
>> gives me an idea.
>>
>> Will it work through rocky soil also?
>>
>> tnx Bob AD5VJ
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
>> > [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Joe
>> Wilkowski
>> > Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 1:23 PM
>> > To: K2EK@aol.com; towertalk@contesting.com
>> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Cable Treatment Suggestions
>> >
>> > Bill, sorry I have not been able to get to this for a couple
>> > of days. I read your post below and as they say a picture is
>> > worth a thousand words.
>> > http://www.k8fc.com/radial_plow.htm
>> >
>> > Anyway, I originally built this to lay electric fence
>> > underground for pet containment but found it to be very
>> > useful for other ham radio endeavors. I have successfully
>> > laid countless thousands of feet of wire with this tool.
>> > Also, I have dug trenches for buried hardline and control
>> > cables with out a hitch.
>> >
>> > Probably overkill for you but it may inspire a couple of ideas.
>> >
>> > Joe K8FC
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: <K2EK@aol.com>
>> > To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
>> > Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 5:00 PM
>> > Subject: [TowerTalk] Cable Treatment Suggestions
>> >
>> >
>> > > Ever since I moved here I always seem to have some LONG
>> > cable run that
>> > > needs
>> > > to be buried just enough to avoid a mower encounter....
>> > >
>> > > The really large hard-line run, plus assorted control
>> > cables, beverage
>> > > cable,
>> > > shack cable bundle, etc... (probably 800 feet worth), were
>> > handled with a
>> > > rental trencher. Worked great. Not inexpensive plus a
>> > few hours driving
>> > > and a
>> > > 100 miles of back and forth gas... Not conducive to
>> > impulse creation.
>> > >
>> > > Has anyone here ever built or acquired a simple, small plow
>> > blade, scoop,
>> > > digger suitable for a decent sized garden tractor yet
>> > capable of digging
>> > > enough
>> > > trench to bury control line, RG6 bev lines or even a run of
>> > RG8 (I use
>> > > that
>> > > generically).... Something in the 1 - 2 inch deep by 1 or
>> > 2 inch wide
>> > > category....
>> > >
>> > > 73 de Bill
>> > > K2EK
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > ************************************** See what's new at
>> > > http://www.aol.com
>> > > _______________________________________________
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > _______________________________________________
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>> > > TowerTalk@contesting.com
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>> > >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> >
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