Topband: Radial requirements for 1/2 wave vertical?

[Mike Waters W0BTU]

> From: dick-bingham <dick-bingham at hughes.net>
> Subject: Re: 100 Watts
> To: "Mike Waters W0BTU" <mrscience65704 at yahoo.com>
> Date: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 8:34 PM
> Nope !!  A half-wave 
> end-fed antenna feedpoint is a very high impedance 
> (it's an open circuit at both ends and therefore virtually
> a zero-current point) which is easily fed using a parallel-L-C network.

I mostly agree. Years ago, I had a half-wave vertical for 20 meters, with 4 elevated radials, and that's how I fed it. I used to work VK's and ZL's nightly with it from my old QTH in NW Ohio.

[snip] 

It's true that the  radial current _at the feedpoint_ is lower than a 1/4 wave (or shorter) vertical. But I think I read in ON4UN's book "Low Band DXing", that the radial requirements for a half-wave vertical were substantial. That is, you need a better radial system for a 1/2 wave vertical than you do for a 1/4 wave (or shorter) vertical

I'm certainly not trying to argue with you, Dick; perhaps I'm way off base. I'm not an antenna expert. Why don't we see what the others on the Topband list have to say about the radial requirements for a half wave vertical? If I recall, I don't think that using a 1/2 wave vertical "gets around having to mess with an extensive ground-radial system".

But maybe I'll learn something.

73,
Mike Waters
W0BTU

> > Hi Dick,
> >
> > I like your idea of the balloon-supported antenna! But
> I think that if you 
> > investigate, you'll find that a half-wave antenna
> requires an even better 
> > ground system. The radial current is just moved to a
> different position 
> > farther out.

[snip]

> > W0BTU
> >
> >
> >> From: dick-bingham <dick-bingham at hughes.net>
> >> Subject: Re: 100 Watts
> >> To: "Mike Waters W0BTU" <mrscience65704 at yahoo.com>
> >> Date: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 7:24 PM
> >> Hello Mike
[snip]
> >> We have a second house in East Wenatchee, WA that
> >> has CC&R restrictions. I plan to get around those
> >> restrictions by using a balloon-supported
> >> half-wave vertical. This gets-around having to mess with an
> >> extensive ground-radial system...
[snip]
> >> 73 - Dick/w7wkr/wd2xsh-26