Topband: Accuracy of modeling of 160m verticals

[Ignacy Misztal]

A number of articles analyzed 160m verticals by simulation. Once the height
was lambda/8 and the number of radials >= 16 (buried) or >=4 (elevated),
the difference in gain was at most a few db.

I operated the 2017 Stew contest from a northern beach of St George Island,
FL. The antenna was inv L about 55 ft vertical and 90 ft horizontal,. with
one 70ft radial elevated 5 ft.

The performance was astounding. EU was heard one hr before the sunset, in
bright sun..During the contest, EU were only slightly weaker than the US. A
special point was easily working a DL with 100W while a well known
contester using high power 100 miles inland could not work it.

So it seemed that the salt-water enhancement was like 15 db, not a few. I
wonder whether simulations are  inaccurate with respect to radials/soil
type or is salt water special?

Ignacy, NO9E