[TowerTalk] How close does a vertical have to be to saltwatertoseeany benef

[Pat Barthelow]

Thanks for the kind words, Chris,

A few of years back I gathered a Ham group to tour KGO studios and 
Transmitter site.  What an E ticket.   KGO is one of the most powerful, 
(50KW) widely heard audience, "Clear Channel" stations, with a North-South 
Beam pattern, created literally with 3,  phased 1/4 wave vertical towers in 
the extra salty water of south San Francisco Bay.
See their "Salty Dog" antenna site:

http://www.thegenomegame.com/cluebook/sites/kgo/KGO_arial.jpg

Heard from Alaska to Central America at night.   Somewhere we posted a ton 
of pictures of the Antenna towers, studio, and antenna tuners.   If you 
google KGO in Google Images you will get a lot.

I distinctly remember standing on the mushy ground at the bases of the 
towers, and seeing the wide, thick, sheet copper straps  from each antenna 
tuner/phaser box immediately submerge themselves in the bay water.  No 
wonder they are strong up and down the USA west coast.
Also interesting to see the custom built antenna tuners/phasors components, 
at each radiator, the vacuum caps, and 3/4" copper pipe coils, etc.

Sincerely, Pat Barthelow     aa6eg at hotmail.com
http://www.jamesburgdish.org
Jamesburg Earth Station  Moon Bounce Team
http://www.cq-vhf.com

>From: "Chris Keladis" <ckeladis at gmail.com>
>To: "Pat Barthelow" <aa6eg at hotmail.com>
>CC: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] How close does a vertical have to be to 
>saltwatertoseeany benef
>Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:38:24 +1000
>
>Hi Pat,
>
>A quite interesting and informative post, thanks.
>
>I would be interested in hearing about folks experiences with
>verticals and radials "in" the salt water.
>
>In ON4UNs excellent book, he mentions that it is best to use copper
>plates and to have them submerged so as much "skin" of the waterline
>is touching the copper plate as possible (perhaps using floats?)
>
>Fully submerged radials would be akin to having wire radials
>underneath a copper plate.
>
>Anyway, you've peaked my interest Pat, and i was wondering if any
>folks have gone the whole hog and would like to talk about their
>experience(s) with radials in the water.

>Cheers,
>Chris.