[TowerTalk] DX Engineering radial plate question

[Rob Atkinson, K5UJ]

<<<Now there you go! Best idea yet.
Why is it that so many people think that the radials have to terminate in an
almost perfect ring around the base of the vertical? >>>

Because it's easier to install them that way?

<<<Just run all the lines to a common point near the base of the antenna and 
tie them together, tie them to one another, run them directly to the 
matching network. There is
nothing wrong about making a bend or two in the radials to get them to one 
place.>>>

Hmmm.  Depends on the bend.   But anyway, I thought about your method and 
decided twisting them all together to make one big lump of twisted wire 
would require one of two methods:
A.  String all the wire out one at a time leaving the ends near the antenna 
base unattached, then twisting them all together at the end and soldering 
them to make one giant lug.  But in the process the wires'd probably get 
tangled, stray, cross each other etc. and a lug of 90 wires would get pretty 
ugly, big and hard to heat up and solder.

B.  Attach them one at a time to a single point and solder them..obvious 
problems there...ones already soldered melting and coming loose, plus 
repeated remelting of previous solder...etc.

Rings are used because they pretty much insure a low resistance return path. 
  Your way may work for 20 radials but seems to have problems for 60 or 
more.

73,

rob / k5uj

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