[TowerTalk] digging radials

Sun Mar 19 22:49:43 EDT 2017

> Someone might want to check my math but that should work fairly well unless you want to cover the entire rectangle bounded by the 4-square…

That’s what I was assuming. I don’t see how it would work to bury just the radials. You’d have to mound the soil over them and compress it very hard to avoid it washing away in the first heavy rain. You’d probably have to seed it with grass to prevent that, which is even more work.

And even if successful, there would be 240 long mounds in my field, creating a surface that would certainly be a pain for my brush hogger’s tractor!

Dick WC1M

From: Bob Shohet, KQ2M [mailto:kq2m at kq2m.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 9:41 PM
To: Dick Green <wc1m73 at gmail.com>
Cc: w5prchuck at gmail.com; Herb Krumich <wa2fgk at yahoo.com>; towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] digging radials

Hi Dick,

Well I was talking about how well it might work to cover the radials with top soil as opposed to using an edger attachment, especially where you are laying down radials on ledge.

As far as the amount of top soil required, that’s reasonably easy to estimate....  One 40 lb bag of topsoil is (from memory) about 1 1/2” thick, x 18” across x 30” tall = ~ 810 cubic inches.   One cubic yard = 36” x 36” x 36” = 46,656 inches. = ~ 58  40lb bags of topsoil = ~ 2,320 lbs of topsoil.

Now, one 1/4 wavelength radial (for 80M)  is ~ 65’ = and assuming that you need 2” wide of top soil to cover the radial x (65’ x 12” = 780”) x 780” long x 1 1/2” inches deep = ~ 2,340 cubic inches per radial.  Dividing this into 46,656 inches per cubic yard, means that one cubic yard of topsoil should cover 20 radials.  If we use 30 radials per each 4-square element, we would lay 120 radials and that would require ~ 120/20 = 6 cu yards of topsoil.
6 cu yards of topsoil x ~2,320 lbs of topsoil/cu yard = ~ 13,920 lbs of topsoil.

Several years ago I bought 15 cubic yards of topsoil for just this purpose but then I decided to put up elevated radials instead.  Now I am rethinking going with ground mounted radials instead.

Someone might want to check my math but that should work fairly well unless you want to cover the entire rectangle bounded by the 4-square (~ 65’ on each side) plus one radial in each direction extending out from the 4-square and perpendicular to it.  That would make the “total” dimensions ~ (65’ x 3) = 195’ x 195’ = or 38,025 square feet or just shy of one acre.

So to cover 120 radials as I calculated above would take roughly 120 x 810 cubic inches/radial  = 97,200 cubic inches of top soil.
To cover the entire 38,025 square feet would take 38,025 square feet x 144 inches per square foot = 5,475,600 square inches x 1 1/2” deep = 8,213,400 cubic inches.  8,213,400 cubic inches / 46,545 inches / cubic yard = 176 cu yards of top soil or 176 x 58 (bags / cubic yard) = 10,235 bags.  YIKES!  176 cubic yards x 27 feet per cubic yard = ~ 4,750 cubic feet of top soil.

I think the covering the radials method is a manageable amount of top soil to purchase and spread (albeit a hell of a lot of hard work).  My question is how will it compare in peformance to actually using an edger and burying the radials?

73

Bob  KQ2M

From: Dick Green<mailto:wc1m73 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 8:51 PM
To: Bob Shohet, KQ2M<mailto:kq2m at kq2m.com>
Cc: w5prchuck at gmail.com<mailto:w5prchuck at gmail.com> ; Herb Krumich<mailto:wa2fgk at yahoo.com> ; towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] digging radials

Covering radials for an 80 4sq and a 160 vertical 1-2 inches deep would require a *lot* of topsoil-- I think about an acre and a half worth. I'm not an expert on the calculations,  but I think it would be abut 10,000 cubic feet of soil, which I think would be over 20 dump truck loads.

73, Dick WC1M
73, Dick WC1M

On Mar 19, 2017, at 6:34 PM, Bob Shohet, KQ2M <kq2m at kq2m.com<mailto:kq2m at kq2m.com>> wrote:
What about laying the radials on the ground – and then covering with ~ 1 1/2” of top soil?  The New England weeds will quickly grow on top and then you can mow right over them.  In a few months you won’t even know that they were there.

73

Bob KQ2M

From: Dick Green WC1M<mailto:wc1m73 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 6:27 PM
To: w5prchuck at gmail.com<mailto:w5prchuck at gmail.com> ; 'Dick Green WC1M'<mailto:wc1m73 at gmail.com> ; 'Herb Krumich'<mailto:wa2fgk at yahoo.com> ; towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] digging radials

Would love to rent one of those, but no known options for that here in rural west-central NH.

73, Dick WC1M

From: w5prchuck at gmail.com<mailto:w5prchuck at gmail.com> [mailto:w5prchuck at gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 6:21 PM
To: Dick Green WC1M <wc1m73 at gmail.com<mailto:wc1m73 at gmail.com>>; 'Herb Krumich' <wa2fgk at yahoo.com<mailto:wa2fgk at yahoo.com>>; towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] digging radials

I have not used an edger, but I think it will be slow going especially if you try to go deep.  The manual says:

“NOTE: There are 5 cutting depth settings from approximately ground level to 2.5” (63 mm) deep. Do not overload the edger capacity by attempting to edge too deep at too fast a rate. To edge at deeper settings, make multiple passes, first cutting at shallow depths.”

This would be a good way, but expensive to buy.  I think renting one might work: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/142313439152?lpid=82 <http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/142313439152?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true> &chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

Chuck W5PR

Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>  for Windows 10

From: Dick Green WC1M <mailto:wc1m73 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 3:58 PM
To: 'Herb Krumich' <mailto:wa2fgk at yahoo.com> ; towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com> <mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] digging radials

Anybody tried one of these?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powermate-9-in-79cc-Gas-Walk-Behind-Edger-with-Curb-Hopping-Feature-PWLE0799/202817519

73, Dick WC1M

-----Original Message-----

From: Herb Krumich [mailto:wa2fgk at yahoo.com]

Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 11:14 AM

To: towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com> <mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>

Subject: [TowerTalk] digging radials

I got back to Home Depot and the edger is on sale for 54.00 Ryobi EdgerExpand-It Attachment9" Dual Serrated Blade101-823Adjusts from 1/2 inch to 2 1/2 inches

Fits Toro Weed Wacker

73'sHerb K2LNS

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