Topband: Radial Wire Comparison

[Dennis W0JX]

A while back, I specifically asked K3LC whether there was a significant difference electrically between tying radials to a buss in a 4 square or just letting them overlap. To my surprise, Al said that the modeled antenna gain of the overlapping radial system was slightly greater than that of the ground system where the radials are terminated in a copper buss.

The issue boils down to: 1.) the extra time spent cutting, stripping and soldering the wires to the buss strap; 2.) the cost of the extra wire wasted in running the wires the full length beyond where they overlap; and 3.) the longevity of the wire insulation.

Here at my QTH, I use #14 THHN for radial wire. In some parts of my property, the soil chemistry is such that the wire insulation deteriorated in about four years. In the case of teflon wire, I would expect a much longer service life 

Two years ago, K8MFO built an 80 meter four square using HyGain Hi-Towers. There are 48, quarter wave radials under each vertical and Don just laid the radials on the ground and overlapped them. He said that laying down the ground staples was enough work and he gets superb performance from his array.

73 Dennis W0JX