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Re: Topband: One More Radial Question

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: One More Radial Question
From: Les Kalmus <w2lk@bk-lk.com>
Reply-to: w2lk@bk-lk.com
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:38:32 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
  Wayne,

All my inverted L radials are THHN. First it's easy to find, second it's 
relatively inexpensive for what you get and third the soil around here 
is really tough on copper.
There is a lot of sulfur in the soil and air which turns everything 
black faster than I have seen elsewhere.
The inverted L developed a crack in the insulation and the wire corroded 
and broke in a few months - this wire is jacketed Wireman copper antenna 
wire.
As I have added radials (up to about 40+ now), the impedance changed and 
the resonance narrowed, like the book says and it works well.

Les W2LK near Kingston, NY



On 11/5/2010 12:11 PM, Wayne Rogers wrote:
> I've been reading, and still haven't come up with an answer to the following 
> question:
>
> With radials laid on the ground, does it make any difference if they are 
> insulated (THHN) or bare?  I suspect not, but would like to know that I am 
> not making a bad assumption.  Seems that even the most recent works in this 
> area don't talk about the difference between "laying wire on the ground" and 
> copper wire directly in contact with earth.  Conceptually I understand that 
> the wire laid on the ground is capacitatively coupled to the earth, but how 
> does the effect of this translate to the decision to use bare vs. insulated 
> wire?
>
> I have six 1/4 wave radials (THHN) on the ground and will continue to add 
> shorter radials interspersed between them.  I can work Europe (barely) with 
> my 100 watts, but know I can do better.  Thanks to all for the many posts and 
> sharing your wisdom.
>
> Wayne, N1WR
> _______________________________________________
> UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
>
>
_______________________________________________
UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK

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