Topband: I need help proofing an Inverted L model I made please. 40’ x 143’, four 100’ radials, #14 wire.

[Mark - N5OT]

Yeah.  I don't claim to be a radial expert but I do claim to have a lot 
of experience working other stations on 160 meters.

My buddy W9RE told me on a DXpedition once that he built a dipole laying 
on the ground and it resonated on 160 when the wires were about 80 feet 
long.

Ray, with respect (N6VR and I go back a LOOOONG way), I think 80 feet is 
the "new quarter wave radial" on 160, and frankly the only thing I 
really think I understand about verticals is, the more wire on the 
ground, the better, but you can get to a point where adding more is not 
worth the effort, YMMV etc.

My story for the week is:  I put up yet another temporary 160 vertical 
for the ARRL 160 last weekend, and only managed 14 radials before it got 
so dark I thought I better be getting on the air.

I worked 970 QSOs that night, including 5 Europeans, and while I was out 
there on Saturday adding more radials, I got a text from K5ZD saying I 
was an alligator, that I was very loud the night before, but couldn't 
hear him calling me for 10 minutes as he needed Oklahoma.

So I stopped adding radials, I was up to 22 radials at 80' long, and 
moved on to listening antennas.

Worked maybe 10 Europeans and counted 10 JAs, so I know my signal was 
getting to those places.

That's really all I know about that.

The vertical is 50 feet tall and has two symmetrical top-load wires that 
bring the resonant frequency to 1.8 MHz.

73 - Mark N5OT

P.S. Got an email from a guy in South Dakota who worked 376 QSOs 
(including 4 other countries) using an inverted L that was 20 feet up 
and the rest horizontal, fed against 20 radials 25' long in his yard.  I 
love stories like that.


On 12/10/2020 9:52 AM, Wes wrote:
> IMHO, for that number, on-the-ground radials do not need to be 
> anywhere near that long.  Personally, I subscribe to the 
> same-length-as-the-vertical guideline.
>
> My inverted-L is 55 feet of vertical tubing plus the horizontal wire.  
> My insulated, on the ground radials are 55.5 feet (9 radials out of a 
> 500 ft roll of wire). By serendipity, measuring one radial against all 
> of the rest with a VNWA it is resonant at 1.84 MHz.  To be fair, I 
> still have fewer radials than planned (18 vs. 36) in which case, 
> shorter is actually better according to Belrose and Severns 
> (https://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/files/antenna_ground_system_experiment_4.pdf).
>
> Wes  N7WS
>
>
> On 12/9/2020 7:00 PM, Raymond Benny wrote:
>> If your vertical is ground mounted you need alot [sic] more. I'd say 
>> atleast 36
>> radials, 135ft long. It will make a big difference in your signal and be
>> easier to match.
>>
>> I have over 100 radials but probably an over kill, but I feel I have 
>> a good
>> signal on 160m.
>>
>> Ray,
>> N6VR/ W7YA
>>
>
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