The underlying elephant in the room, borne out buy all the tables in the
article, is that the conductivity of the soil is much more important than
the dimensions of the radials. If you have really poor soil you could mount
the vertical on a copper disc with a radius of 1/4 or 1/4 wavelength and it
still wouldn't radiate as effectively as one with a few radials over
excellent soil. Elevated radials work because they "protect" the antenna
from the lossy ground.
The only reason I can think to put ground rods at the end of radials is to
spread out a lightning strike over a greater area in rocky soil, or perhaps
to make sure they don't roll up and come in contact with a mower.
73 John N5CQ
-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces@contesting.com> On Behalf Of Steve Dyer
W1SRD via TowerTalk
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2022 1:44 PM
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Radial Ends Buried???
I have a mish-mash of long, short, insulated, bare, solid, stranded, thick,
thin, on ground and below ground radials for 80 and 160 that has accumulated
over the years.
It doesn't matter. What matters is how many and length (coverage) with
rapidly diminishing returns after 60 or so. Plenty of research to back that
number. Make them as long as you can and as symmetrical as you can for the
land you have. If you have land to do a beautiful circle of perfectly sized
radials, great. Otherwise do the best you can.
Point being there is no reason for hand wringing over it. Tenths of a dB on
the low bands just don't matter.
73,
Steve
W1SRD
On 11/18/2022 10:23 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 11/18/2022 8:38 AM, Test wrote:
>> I'm about to install 20 radials for a Hi-Gain AV-18HT and Hi-Gain
>> recommends burying the Radial ends if installing less than 60
>> radials.
>
> There is ZERO reason for radials making electrical contact with the
> earth. Their function is to provide return current for the antenna IN
> PLACE OF the earth, which is very lossy (that is, it wastes
> transmitter power), and to SHIELD the antenna's fields from the earth.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
>
>
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