[TenTec] RFI Issues

[Richards]

On 5/17/2012 11:31 AM, John wrote:


> I thought I had read that radial spacing may be more important than length and that radials may not have much effect past the 1/4 wave point.



	I am a vertical antenna maven...
	My studies tend to confirm what you have read.
	As a general rule, it is better to have many, shorter,
	radials... than a few longer radials... for the same
	total length of wire.  The ground will de-tune any
	radial system, so tuning for a particular band is more
	trial and error than a matter of 	measurement, although
	elevated radials can more 	easily, and actually should be,
	cut to frequency.

	But, yes, more closely short radials is preferred over
	fewer, longer yet wider spaced radials.


	

Although the thought of establishing  (consuming the back yard) as a RF 
base for a vertical antenna is
> certainly interesting.

	That is not as silly as you might think...

	Our friend and mentor, Rob Sherwood, wrote a
	magazine article about using lawn fabric or the like to
	make a ground screen for his vertical antenna - and after
	talking with him a couple of years ago - I seriously contemplated
	laying a huge grid of galvanized lawn fabric (the kind where
	the cross members are welded and not just woven together.)
	My bride was not particularly exuberant over the prospect of
	laying so much metal over an existing lawn, so we laid 65
	wire radials, instead.  (Yes... she helped... the photo of her
	digging part of the trench to bury to coax feed line is one of
	my most prized ham possessions!)

	Parenthetically, I have truly appreciated the detailed
	correspondence I had with several learned hams, including
	Rob Sherwood,  Phil Salas, AD5X, who has written loads of
	articles for QST,  and Rudy Severns, N6LF, who has conducted
	extensive field testing and written several articles on the nature
	and number of ground radials for vertical antennas, and even
	Rick DJ0IP of our group.    	Giants of the hobby who gave me
	some individual attention.

	Similarly, I also appreciate the huge help Bob, K4TAX, and
	Jim Brown  K9YC,   Jeff, N8CC,  and many others from this
	group too numerous to mention, have given me along the way.

	
  That is Just My Take...


======================  K8JHR  ===================