Topband: Radials over a stone wall

[N2TK, Tony]

Thanks for all the feedback on how to get the radials over/under/through the
wall. After playing with this for the past few weeks I realize no way to go
under as test poundings on rods indicates the wall is too deep. 

 

Without dismantling the wall the only way I can get through is possible
drilling. I am going to try that. Tried a couple of holes but not much
progress through the stones. Going to try a hammer dill and see if the
vibration will jitter the stones enough that I can get a wire through in
several places. 

I received an idea that if I can get a few wires through I can set up a buss
on the other side of the stone wall and feed multiple radials from that.

 

I had an offer to model my situation by going over the wall. Will have to
see how that looks when the person gets the time.

 

In the meantime I was reviewing a couple of articles on radials - QEX Jan
2009 and NCJ Jan-Jun 2005. I had thought there was a more recent in depth
article on elevated vs. ground radials and short vs. long radials but
haven't found it yet. Does anyone remember the article and where it
appeared? 

 

While I am working on the Topband radial issue I want to go from elevated
radials on my 80M 4-sq to ground radials. Guess what, that stone wall really
comes into play as the NW feedpoint is right behind the stone wall in a
field of stones. I will have to "bury" the radials in the rocks. The deer
for years like traversing the stone wall right by the NW feedpoint so the
radials can't be on top of the rocks. Tried that once. Didn't last long. 

Looks like a good winter project when the leaves are down and I cut back the
thorny bushes.

 

73,

N2TK, Tony

 

 

From: N2TK, Tony [mailto:tony.kaz at verizon.net] 
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 11:18 AM
To: 'topband'
Subject: Radials over a stone wall

 

I shunt feed my tower for topband. I use variable vacuum caps and a vacuum
relay at the base to switch between the low end and the high end of the
band. It seems to work okay. I have 100' buried radials spaced 10' at the
ends from o degrees going clockwise through about 220 degrees. I have a 4'
high stone wall that runs about 20/200 degrees that is about 35' at its
closest point to the tower. So the radials are progressively shorter on the
West side of the tower.  

 

I am making an assumption that going up over the wall will distort any
benefits of extending the radials on the West side? Is that a true
assumption. 

I can't really have the radials go from the tower base up at an angle to
clear the stone wall and continue on. If I am to extend them the radials
would have to go on the ground to the wall then up and over and back down to
the ground.

 

73,

N2TK, Tony