[TowerTalk] connecting radial wires

[Dick]

I recently put up the DX Engineering 43 ft vertical for use on 60 meters.  I
also purchased the DX Engineering radial plate and attached 60 radials (I
think 37 to 38 ft each).    I went to Home Depot and bought 60 or so solder
lugs and solder one wire into each;  I then used the bolts and nuts that
come with the plate (and purchased a couple of more bags of them so I had
60).  I did not use "Never Seize" or paint when installing the lugs onto the
bolts and plate.

Soldering the lugs was not that long of a job using a butane soldering iron;
it took a heck of a lot longer pounding in the 5 or 6 hundred staples that I
needed to keep the radials on the ground so my mower would not tear them up.

I also constructed a 80 meter four square array a few years ago and "home
brewed" four tilt over aluminum plates for the verticals.  With them, I
drilled 8 holes around each plate to attach the radials to.  I purchased 32
large solder lugs, and made 32 bunches of 15 radials, each 66 ft long; I
soldered 15 at a time into each of the solder lugs (I don't know how many
sod staples I used, but it was well over 1000).  That approach worked very
well too. 

The above said, I guess you could do anything you want, I would bet that
your approach is as good as any.

Dick K8ZTT

> On 1/12/11 1:26 PM, K2VI wrote:
>> hello to all on TT. Im waiting for this weather to become more seasonable

>> for commencing this vertical antenna project. Anyway in regard to the 
>> radial plate installation i decided to go with the prefab Dx engineering 
>> stainless steel plate. Im curious if the stainless steel will conduct the

>> Rf to the copper radials or will there be any loss. question # 2 is 
>> connecting the wires to the plate, Ive seen most solder lugs then 
>> slipping over the bolts. Can i simply tin the wire and wrap it directly 
>> around the bolt, use never seize and tighten it down then paint it with 
>> scotchkote? It just seems to be a long daunting job of soldering 55+ lugs

>> if not necessary. Thanks in advance guys. 73