Topband: Ground Radials

[Herb Schoenbohm]

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 at 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. 
>>    
>>
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>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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