TopBand: Further Radial Installation Tip

[lsmith]

After I received enquiries from another couple of Topbanders about "my
system" of installing radials, I thought I'd forward this description on
how I tied all the loose ends together at the base of the Butternut HF2V
that I have installed to get me through the winter until I can put up my
"major sized" vertical in the spring.  I hope it proves helpful to some
of the newer members.

> Here's what I did at the base of the antenna:
> 
> Needless to say, a big ball of about 20 wires wires won't fit very
> easily on the tiny little 1/8" bolt that most manufacturers provide at
> the base of the vertical, so a "radial collector plate" is used as a big terminal strip to tie all the things together in the right place at the right time.
> 
> At the base of the antenna, I drove in a 6 foot long piece of copper
> pipe as a ground rod, attached a length of about number 6 copper wire to the rod, and then brought all the radials up to a plate of aluminum about 8"x3" about 3/16 thick which I bought at the scrap metal dealer for 50 cents.
> 
> The aluminum plate was drilled with a bunch of holes around the
> perimeter appropriate to the size of nuts and bolts you use.  Digging
> around in the junk box, I found a lot of 10-32 size stainless steel
> nuts, bolts, and star lock washers  to which I attached all the radials and the wire from the ground rod.  This plate was then bolted to the ground side of the antenna feedpoint which was just a little wimpy type bolt that would normally have accomodated only about 4 wires on it.
> Thats all there is to the custom manufactured "radial collector plate"!
> 
> Here's an important tip for you.  Go to any electrician, and ask him to sell you about 2 ounces of a product that is very commonly used at
> electrical joints of dissimilar metals (like a junction of copper to
> aluminum wiring), called "Penetrox"  there are several different product names which all do the same function....to enhance conductivity, and inhibit corrosion in the face of electrical activity between dissimilar metals.  About $3 of this stuff will greatly reduce the likelihood of you having any trouble.  Warning...this stuff is IMPOSSIBLE to get off your clothes if you smear some on your shirt....the shirt is ruined!
> 
> After the Penetrox treatment of all joints as you are attaching the
> wires, nuts and bolts, I dabbed on a bit of electrical silicone sealer
> to make it harder for oxygen to get to the attachpoints.  Do not use the household type silicone sealers for this as they can be corrosive....if it smells like vinegar, don't use it, it is the wrong
> stuff.
> 
> Then spray the entire plate with some paint...I used varathane, to keep
> the air off the contacts and further inhibit the possibility of
> corrosion.
> 
> I hope I've given you a few tips that are helpful.
> 
> You should be glad you didn't end up cutting about 500 coathangers
> up to make the radial holdown clips, the fence staples are much easier to get!...would have been a hell of a job!
> 
> If you have any questions, let me know.
> 
> 73 de Lee Smith
> VE4ANC
> 
> 
> >
> > Hello Folks:
> >
> > Just finished putting a radial system in about a month ago, and had
> > excellent results with a method originally from an old QST "Technical
> > Correspondence" article which is really just an industrial strength
> > version of the "bobbi-pin suggestion" filed here a short time ago.
> >
> > I used "fence staples" about one and a half inches long. These are U
> > shaped "nails" with 2 sharpened ends, (from here on, I'll use the terms
> > staples and nails interchangeably) These "nails" are used to attach
> > fence wire to wooden fenceposts, and are available at just about any
> > hardware store.
> >
> > When I put in 20 radials 65 feet long, I used about 5 pounds of these
> > fence staples to nail the wire to the ground after cutting the grass
> > exceptionally short.
> >
> > I put in a staple spaced about every foot on the somewhat uneven
> > sections of ground (every 6" or less in the really rough spots), and
> > about every 2 feet on the flattest of sections to hold the wire very
> > tight onto the surface of the earth and short grass. By using a good
> > heavy booted foot, and stomping on the fence staple with my heel, I
> > could drive a staple almost below the surface quite easily, and keep the
> > wire very tightly hugging the surface along it's entire length.
> > Initially, I started to put the staples in using a hammer, but found the
> > foot pressure method to be a lot faster and just as effective for the
> > sections on even ground.
> >
> > Each radial was attached to the ground side of the antenna and laid out
> > in the proper direction.  The end of the radial near the antenna was
> > held in place with two nails to really anchor it in place tightly. The
> > far end of the radial wire was tied securely to a staple and the tag end
> > cut off. I then pulled the wire tight and pounded the nail into the dirt
> > with a hammer so that it was about a 1/4 " below the surface at the end
> > furthest from the vertical radiator.
> >
> > Then I worked my way out along the radial starting at the antenna
> > working toward the end armed with a big bag of staples, applying them
> > quite liberally. (after all, they were really very cheap by the pound)
> >
> > After the 20 radials were laid (the whole system took me about 3 hours),
> > I bought some "slow release, fall application" lawn ferilizer and gave
> > the lawn a going over. Old-timers that I've worked on the air say this
> > radial system will disappear after about the second grass cutting in the
> > spring with your lawnmower (set the blade up about an inch and half
> > higher than normal for the first two or three cuttings), then as the new
> > grass cuttings form the usual ground cover thatch you'll find in any
> > lawn, the mower can be lowered to your favourite level, and nobody will
> > ever know there is a pile of wire out there.
> >
> > So far, the system is proceeding as promised by the article and the old
> > fellows, and I recommend the method to anyone who (like me) has quickly
> > tired of the lawn edger 6" at a time method of putting in about 1500' of
> > wire, which became discouraging very quickly.  Next spring, Ill be
> > putting up a 67 foot aluminum tower with base insulator, and intend to
> > use this method again when I lay out my 60 radial system.
> >
> > I hope to work some of you soon.
> >
> > 73 de
> > Lee Smith
> > VE4ANC

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