[TowerTalk] Ground radials- the long and short of it

[Scott Fike]

Pertaining to a ground-mounted vertical antenna with buried radials a few 
inches below the surface of the grass:

  Do ground radials have to be electrically the same length as the main 
vertical radiator element?

  Example: Take a 1/4 wave 80 meter hamstick stuck vertically in the ground. 
An 80 meter hamstick is physically about 6' tall but has about 60' of wire 
wound hellicaly around its 6' core insulator rod. Would it be better to make 
my ground radials using hamsticks (with their 60' of wire but physically 
still 6' long overall) or can I use 6' pieces of wire to match the hamsticks 
physical overall length or should one string out 60' radials?

  Some books I've read say:  ".... make the ground radials 1/4 wavelength 
long to match the main 1/4 wavelength long vertical element". Other books 
and sources say: "..... just make the ground radials as long as you can to 
fit in the availible space in your yard".

Scott, KC0BUS

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