Topband: T vertical is up

[Steve Flood]

Finally - I have a vertical in the air.   With my available space and skyhooks, I ended up with a 70-foot vertical section with a 70 foot flat-top topwire.  I decided on elevated radials since my ground is rocky, rootbound, and covered with heavy brush.  My feedpoint is 2 feet above ground which consists of a 6"x6" aluminum plate nailed to the top of a post and has an SO-239 panel connector and numerous holes around the margin for attaching radials.  My radials slope up away from the feedpoint to 8 to 10 feet above ground for their full run.  6 of my radials are about 1/4 wave and 2 are about 1/8 wave.

I measured feedpoint Z with a MFJ259B directly at the feedpoint after adding one radial at a time.  Here is what I got at f = 1.825 MHz.

1 radial:  60 + j60
2 radials:  176 + j0
3 radials:  41 - j12
4 radials:  46 - j13  (50 + j0 @ 1.840 MHz, and a 2:1 SWR of 1.800 to 1.890)
5 radials:  63 - j22
6 radials:  35 - j37
7 radials:  36 - j38
8 radials:  38 - j42


My feedpoint Z did not seem to follow any kind of orderly trend as I added radials, and seems to have "leveled off" with 6 to 8 radials.  Should I keep adding radials?  I am still way off the 16 - j75 that EZNEC predicts.

Steve KK7UV