Topband: [TowerTalk] New N6LF Ground Probe Designs

[Jeff Blaine]

I think there are a couple of reasons I want to try this method.

First is that it's a technically cool use of a VNA - which is my 
personal favorite gadget in general.

I live in an area surrounded by farm lands and assume that the soil here 
is nice and conductive.  But I have no idea what that really means.  
Maybe the area around here is not that conductive. Making a set of 
measurements would be a way to quantify that assumption.  I do realize 
that this is a data point specific to the place you took the 
measurement.  So taking the similar measurement around the area would 
give some idea of how much variation there may be.

73/jeff/ac0c
alpha-charlie-zero-charlie
www.ac0c.com

On 3/2/2024 11:51 AM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
> On 3/1/2024 10:44 AM, Brian Beezley wrote:
>> Rudy Severns, N6LF, has updated his writeup on ground parameter 
>> measurement with several new probe designs. A ground probe and NanoVNA 
>
> I'm not trying to take away anything from Rudy's excellent work, but 
> he doesn't explain in the posted article what useful advantage we can
> derive from the measurements.  It only gives a spot measurement of the
> top foot of soil.  And the soil that matters is the soil at large
> distances from the antenna.  It is unlikely that this probe could be
> used to survey all that area of land that isn't owned by the ham with
> the antenna.
>
> Also, I would prefer Rudy's previous method using a low 1/2 wave dipole.
> It covers more area and presumably would penetrate into the soil more
> than a foot.
>
> Another thing I would prefer is to simply put up a vertical and a dipole
> and A/B them for signal strength on various RBN stations.
>
> Finally, it is also possible to build a Beverage antenna and run
> a current probe along it as I have done and determined how fast
> it attenuates with distance.
>
> I know very well that my QTH is over highly conductive ground without
> ever using an OWL probe.
>
> 73
> Rick N6RK
>
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