Topband: Buried radials or non-buried radials?

[Dennis Peterson]

To be or not to be-----------TO BURY OR NOT TO BURY--that is the question..................................IMHO of 34 years playing with antennas,
it has been my experience to use NON-BURIED Radials as I am a firm believer in making WORK-WORK FOR ME......Since we aren't faced with the ardent task or necessity to place QUARTER LENGTH RADIAL WIRES, doing exactly what many have suggested is adequate enough towards laing out a radial field.

HOWEVER;
when  laying the radials on the ground, it is important to note that just placing them on the ground isn't good enough unless you anchor them securely. I use metal coat hangers discarded by many housewives today who prefer the plastic over the metal.  These metal coat hangers are very good for ground radial staples.  I can get 6 or 7 six inch lengths of wire per coat hanger.  Bending them in half like a hair pin provides enough length to securely anchor the wire to the ground every 18 to 24 inches.  On the far end of the wire I wrap two turns around the hairpin wire and pull the wire tight to help hold it in place and then work backwards towards the ground plate or grid to place the staples.

I have never had any problems with this method nor have I ever pulled a wire loose during the mowing season.  A good  application of fertilizere after the ground laying procedure in the fall will increase the grass growth in the spring and afterwards you can't even see there they were or are.  I even do the same thing for the feedline coax for my RX antennas.  Course the hairpin wires need to be about 8 or 9 inch lengths and then folded in half to make a 4 inch hairpin but they work FB just the same.

Another advantage of NON-BURIED radials is that you won't end up with an unsitely star pattern in the lawn that creates an eye sore for the XYL.....................

As to the question;  which is better-----buried or non-buried goes to saying which is better FORDS or CHEVYS; APPLES or ORANGES.  I don't think there have been too many studies on the topic that can really sustantiate with good cause whether buried is better or vice versa.  Whatever the operator feels he is confortable with doing for HIS own specific condition.   Again, I want the WORK to WORK for me I'm not going to WORK for it!  Therefore, I choose on the ground insulated ground radial wires stapled every 18 to 24 inches.  Most of my radials are only 36 feet long; although my current inv-L system has 9 wires at 136' each and 24 at 36' each, 

The dry cleaners will sell you metal coat hangers very cheap if you don't have any.  I think the last time I paid something like $5.00 for 50 of them.  That's 10 cents each which is cheaper than buying anything else.  Oh, by the way; another cheap type of lawn staple is the welding rod ends thrown away at a welding shop.  Those make good staples as well and they don't rust as fast..................and they're cheap.  Most shops will you a 5 gallon bucket to carry away if you want.

Have fun and remember--------don't make work out of the project----make the work WORK for you.

de K4CKDennis







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Dennis G. Peterson
326 East Jefferson Street
Apt 2
York, SC  29745
803-389-9366