Topband: Radial Plate Designs

[Paul Christensen]

I've long thought about designing a radial plate that addresses some 
significant limitations with currently available product.  Specially, every 
commercially available radial plate uses single-hole lugs to attach a radial 
wire to the plate.   The problem is that with upwards of 60+ lugs in harms 
way of accidental contact, single-hole lugs are very susceptible to rotation 
and loosening.

In the link below, you'll see a different kind of radial plate that makes 
use of double-hole lugs.

http://tinyurl.com/pykx44x

Around the perimeter of the plate, you'll see 120 paired holes in addition 
to an extra set of corner lugs for system grounding.  This is the type of 
ground attachment required at Bellcore hardened facilities (now Telcordia). 
When I was with AT&T Broadband Engineering, every ground bond at its fiber 
optic-hub sites required two-hole lugs to pass compliance testing.   Once 
tightened, the lug cannot spin loose.  Over time, the connection maintains 
much better mechanical and electrical contact with the plate.   A typical 
two-hole lug looks like this:

http://www.alliedelec.com/images/products/datasheets/bm/T_B/70092228.pdf

Although this plate has pairing for 120 radials, the plate can be scaled 
down to sizes of 30, 60, and 90 radials.  Each hole is tapped for a 1/4 inch 
bolt - which does not preclude use of an additional nut on the back side of 
the plate.  The center area has mounting for various angled plates to mount 
saddle brackets, antenna connectors, etc.

Before anyone with a related patent takes issue with this, I not making, nor 
supplying these plates.  Rather, the design file(s) will be made available 
to anyone who may wish to use and modify at-will.  The user can select plate 
thickness, remove the double lugs and replace with single lugs, remove 
tapping, etc.

Frankly, these plates are just too costly to produce + make any semblance of 
a profit.  The plate shown in single quantities from the manufacturer is 
about USD $500.  The price of 120 double lugs?  One can expect to add $200 
even in large quantities.  But the plate price drops quite a bit when a 
lesser number of radials are used and hole tapping is removed.

The purpose of this message is to seek additional input for ideas.  I may 
create a set of files that range in a low-to-high manufacturing price, 
depending on interest.

*Please send any ideas directly to me and not the list.*

Finally, we all know that a radial ring can be created using nothing but 
heavy copper wire.  I get it.  This is for the person who wants a premium 
radial plate with lug connections.  Thanks.

Paul, W9AC