Topband: grounding the ends of radials

[Bob Eldridge]

> but if it was done with a ground rod that's not really much of a "ground"
> for rf.
  It isn't there to "provide a ground". It is there to intercept "return"
rf, which "flows" not far below the surface.  So a "ground spike" is a more
appropriate term.  "Ground rods" are good for safety purposes.
  Yes, I am assuming insulated wire laid on or near the surface.  But
grounding the far end of buried bare radials doesn't do any harm.

>>A single ground rod at the base of a vertical isn't going to provide much
>>of a ground.
  True. But a ring of short grounding spikes, connected together and back to
the base (U.S. Army
tactical grounding system), provides a reasonable alternative to a metal
plate.

>> The radial network is a non-resonant counterpoise.
  Sometimes, but not always.

Bob VE7BS