[Antennaware] Radials

[Jim Miller]

What detrimental effect would there be if radials (25 or so) laying ON the ground had their ends stuck into the ground or held down by spikes or LARGE nails since this is a high voltage point?  The antenna in use was a 160 meter inverted L with about 54 ft vertical and the remainder horizontal.

At our clubhouse, (homebrew 4-1000 amp at 4800 volts) I came out during a cw contest and the ends of several of the radials had sparks continuous with the cw being transmitted (no problem copying whatsoever).  The ground was still partly snow covered and very wet and luckily so were the leaves that were in the spark path.  No fires were started but I started thinking about danger of someone touching the radials near the end.

TIA, 73, de Jim KG0KP