Topband: Radials - open ended or tied together in a gridqrrtangement??

[Bruce]

Jim,

Think of  a cage connection rather than a single wire to a shunt fed tower 
and its benefit.  The cage larger diameter causes an impedance change and 
also makes it  a more broad-banded  fat conductor.
Benefits of a in ground grid have been established. A partial grid connected 
to radials already in place would not be a negative. Antennas that are fat 
the entire length have a lower Q, lower impedance at the far end, and are 
wider in frequency.

I think of my in ground  radial system  system in a similar fashion.

My ground radial system has a perimeter wire and has worked well. Working in 
the DX contest this weekend on 160 meters with 100 watts. Only a few request 
for a call repeat.
The best benefit of a perimeter wire :  ... It allows each wire to be 
individually disconnected at the tower base. The disconnected wire can be 
checked with an ohmmeter against the remaining radials to
confirm continuity.  I check them every few years, and  pull any broken 
wires up to splice or replace.

73
Bruce-K1FZ
www.qsl.net/k1fz/beveragenotes.html








>I wonder if there is supporting analysis for connecting the radial ends??
> I have around 80 elevated radials that range from 50 foot lengths, running 
> east and west, and 25 foot lengths running north and south (all of that a 
> function of being geographically challenged).  I have not tied the bitter 
> ends together....never really thought about it when I put the radial field 
> together but seem to recall reading something about tieing the ends 
> together and having a well bounded complete "grid" underthe antenna.
> Thoughts? I tend to think it wouldn't hurt...  72, Jim Rodenkirch K9JWV
>
>
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