[TowerTalk] Radial installation machine (homebrew)

[Bill Cotter]

Several years ago, a fellow ham here in KY was figuring out how to 
get hundreds of radials under his array. He didn't want to lay them 
on the surface, and have the grass 'absorb' them, but rather he 
wanted them in the soil an inch or two. He had no intention of 
plowing or trenching by hand, so he figured out a clever design of 
a radial installation tool.

What he did was to purchase a cheap electric 'skil saw' from 
K-mart, and installed a carbide blade. He built a wooden frame that 
held the saw, a roll of #16, a steel guide tube, wheels and weights.

He attached the wire exiting from the steel tube to the vertical 
element, and would pull this contraption away from the radiator to 
it's final distance. The reel of wire played out through the steel 
tube that followed in the cut trench. At the end, he simply snipped 
the wire, and started over with the next radial.

It sounds dangerous, but from what I saw it was very controlled 
cutting, placement of the wire, and the weight of the machine kept 
the blade in the ground a good three inches.

73 bill n4lg


At 11:00 AM 11/18/2007, Dan Hearn wrote:
>I recall that many years ago someone in one of the ham magazines 
>showed a
>radial planting device which was mounted to a low platform with 
>wheels that
>could be towed like a trailer. He used one of his kids sitting on the
>platform to hold it down. This might be the simplist way to plant 
>radials.
>73, Dan, N5AR
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
>[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of AD5VJ Bob
>Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 7:52 PM
>To: 'Joe Wilkowski'; K2EK at aol.com; towertalk at contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Cable Treatment Suggestions
>
>
>  Now this is truly worth mentioning. Thanks for the idea. I am 
> going to work
>on something I hope I can pull behind my riding lawn
>mower. I have been trying to think of a way to do it economically 
>and this
>gives me an idea.
>
>Will it work through rocky soil also?
>
>tnx Bob AD5VJ
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> > [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Joe 
> Wilkowski
> > Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 1:23 PM
> > To: K2EK at aol.com; towertalk at contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Cable Treatment Suggestions
> >
> > Bill, sorry I have not been able to get to this for a couple
> > of days.  I read your post below and as they say a picture is
> > worth a thousand words.
> > http://www.k8fc.com/radial_plow.htm
> >
> > Anyway, I originally built this to lay electric fence
> > underground for pet containment but found it to be very
> > useful for other ham radio endeavors.  I have successfully
> > laid countless thousands of feet of wire with this tool.
> > Also, I have dug trenches for buried hardline and control
> > cables with out a hitch.
> >
> > Probably overkill for you but it may inspire a couple of ideas.
> >
> > Joe K8FC
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <K2EK at aol.com>
> > To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
> > Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 5:00 PM
> > Subject: [TowerTalk] Cable Treatment Suggestions
> >
> >
> > > Ever since I moved here I always seem to have some LONG
> > cable run that
> > > needs
> > > to be buried just enough to avoid a mower encounter....
> > >
> > > The really large hard-line run, plus assorted control
> > cables, beverage
> > > cable,
> > > shack cable bundle, etc... (probably 800 feet worth), were
> > handled with a
> > > rental trencher.  Worked great.  Not inexpensive plus  a
> > few hours driving
> > > and a
> > > 100 miles of back and forth gas...   Not conducive to
> > impulse creation.
> > >
> > > Has anyone here ever built or acquired a simple, small plow
> > blade, scoop,
> > > digger suitable for a decent sized garden tractor yet
> > capable of digging
> > > enough
> > > trench to bury control line, RG6 bev lines or even a run of
> > RG8 (I use
> > > that
> > > generically)....   Something in the 1 - 2 inch deep by 1 or
> > 2 inch wide
> > > category....
> > >
> > > 73 de Bill
> > > K2EK
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ************************************** See what's new at
> > > http://www.aol.com
> > > _______________________________________________
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > TowerTalk mailing list
> > > TowerTalk at contesting.com
> > > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> > >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TowerTalk mailing list
> > TowerTalk at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk