Topband: Radial Question

[David Aslin]

I could not resist a comment - 12,500 sq. ft is tiny ??!
Spare a thought for the topband community in G-land: the *average* garden (i.e the lot size less the house area) is 970 sq. ft.  Many new homes have no garden.
While I search for a contest/DX location, we are renting a beautiful new home - on a 'huge' 5000 sq. ft lot.  So if my 160m signals are weak, listen harder - I only have room for 0.05 wavelength radials...
Bob, good luck with the radials project.  You will be loud...
73
Dave G3WGN  M6O  WJ6O

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Chortek, Robert L - Monday, January 06, 2014 6:44:03 PM
Hello Fellow Topbanders -

We are about to embark on a front yard landscaping project at our home on a tiny 12, 500 sq. ft. lot.

It occurred to me this would be an excellent opportunity to put down a large number of buried ground radials BUT, they  would only cover about 90 degrees of the compass. Then it also occurred to me I could put down a large number of radials in our crawl space under the house.

So, my question is, what is the likely negative impact, if any, from the house being between the 160 meter vertical and the radials placed under the house?  I assume the house material, most of which is wood, tile, sheetrock, etc. (with the usual house wiring) would be invisible to RF and have minimal impact.

If I could put down say 60 radials ranging in length from 40  to 120 feet long, would it outperform my current system with 8 resonant elevated radials 10 -15 feet high (which cover only about 120 degrees of the compass)?   I'm incline to proceed IF it would provide a meaningful improvement in my transmitted signal strength.

Thanks for any help!

73,

Bob/AA6VB