Topband: elevated radials

[Milt, N5IA]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Cqtestk4xs at aol.com>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 05, 2006 7:57 AM
Subject: Re: Topband: elevated radials


>I am not an expert on radials but a very nice piece appeared on elevated 
>guys appeared in the NCJ about a year ago.  The gist of the article was 
>four elevated radials >over average ground at 65 feet played just about the 
>same as a 60 radial buried system.  I don't have the particulars and my 
>NCJs are  packed away for moving, but it >was part of a three part series 
>that made interesting reading.
>
> I actually built it as a suspended wire vertical with the base at 65 feet 
> and it played well.  However, I was deaf as a stone since I have extremely 
> high line noise on >160 so I never was able to give it a fair evaluation.
>
> Bill K4XS

All,

I constructed my first 160 Meter Ground Plane here in late 1995.  Insulated 
base 1/8 WL AGL and a full 1/4 WL above that.  From the base, extending 
outward and slightly downward to the top of 55 foot tall wooden poles at the 
quadrants, I installed four, 1/4 WL long, caged radials consisting of 4 # 12 
copperweld wires each spaced in a 1 foot square.

The element is series fed and the feedpoint impedance is textbook.  The 
performance for the past ten years has been superb.

I somewhat duplicated this antenna scheme at XZ0A in 2000 and at the W7MCO 
QTH.  I also have done preliminary testing the past two winters with a gamma 
matched version utilizing the upper portion of a 200' grounded 
communications tower on the top of a 6,500' mountain.  In all four cases, 
the results have been outstanding.  I have also constructed a wire cage 
vertical and suspended it from a catenary cable attaced to the top of a 250' 
tower such that the base was a bit more than 1/8 WL AGL.  All of these 
antennas have been used in 160 Meter contests, where direct competition 
shows the true capability of the radiator.

The common component of five antennas is the elevated radials.  NOT elevated 
10-15', or gull winged from the base, but truly elevated Ground Plane 
antennas.  Just imagine one of the little 2 Meter, 1/4 WL Ground Planes with 
it's 19' spike and 4 sloping radials.  Magnify that antenna 80 times and 
place the base significantly AGL and you have a superb transmitting antenna 
for 160 Meters.

In these five locations the surrounding objects and terrain (and the 
temporary time element at XZ0A and the 250' tower) have dictated doing 
something other than traditional multiple, on the ground radials.  It has 
been much easier to do the elevated radials.  The results ARE everything!!!! 
I highly recommend the elevated radial systems when done in this manner.

73, and good luck with your projects.

Milt, N5IA
DM52, in SW New Mexico