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Re: Topband: Ground Radials

To: n0tt1@juno.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Ground Radials
From: Herb Schoenbohm <herbs@vitelcom.net>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 13:12:00 -0400
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
The best way to lay down a ground system in my view is to rent a small "Ditch Witch" for the weekend and specify you want the vibrating plow attachment. The vibrating plow blade is hollow and the copper radial wire is mounted on a spool holder in back of the plow with the wire passing through the blade and out of the tip in the bottom. At the base of the tower dig a trench around the base about 1 foot deep. Back the Ditch Witch up to the trench and attach the end of the wire temporarily to the tower leg. Put the vibrating plow blade into the trench, engage the vibrating switch and just drive away in the direction you want the radial to run for as long as you want the radial to be. At the end of the run just cut the wire and go back to the trench and lay down another. The vibrating plow just pushes the earth out of the way as the wire is laid down. It does not dig up the lawn.

This method leaves a small and hardly visible streak on the grass which disappears in a few days. The vibrating plow on a Ditch Witch, either riding or walk behind, has got to be the fastest, neatest, and most reliable means of laying down a radial system. The only problem I have ever run into, when laying down underground CATV drops years ago, is hitting a large rock wherein the blade kicks out of the ground. Small rocks are not a problem. If the blade kicks out you will need to make a small hole and navigate around the large rock.

Puting in an effective radial system this way is a matter of hours not days or weeks. It works!

Good Luck,

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ




n0tt1@juno.com wrote:


I am using a power edger to cut slots in the lawn, and then another tool to jam the radial wire down into the slot. It is a lot of work.


ON4UN's book has a photo and (I think) plans on building a kind of "sled" that can be pulled along with a lawn tractor or human power (gasp!)....might be worth a look.





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