Topband: RBOG installation

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

On Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 12:54 PM, James Denneny <57jndenneny at comcast.net> wrote:
> Yes, I can raise blade cut to 3 inches.  I prefer a closer cut for neatness.
> However, I am contemplating pinning the wire with DXE ground staples every 5
> to 10 ft versus burying the wire an inch into the soil.  I am concerned the
> latter approach might defeat signal reception.

As a BOG wire gets truly close to true dirt, or notched into it, the
velocity factor of BOG can undergo a very large changes, quite some
number here in the NC environs went below 50% velocity factor. The
loss of the RX antenna does increase, but I always tell people that
BOG's need an amplifier.

For RX antennas, the issue is not gain, it's pattern. A BOG a little
on the long side that gets really close to dirt can become
*electrically* long enough to approach zero front to back, or even
reverse pattern, a confusing condition responsible for a lot of the
BOGs-don't-work reports.

It is a good thing to start with to get the BOG right down on true
dirt, not just a pile of dead grass. It's more stable there, because
the pattern/gain drift of gradually going down

My blunt advice is to do the work to lay it right down on true dirt,
just barely notch it into the dirt, do the work to get it to the right
length, and DEAL with an RX amp if you need it. It will solve the
drift problem so neatly documented by N6LF and you won't be cutting it
up with your lawn mower any more.

73, Guy K2AV