[TowerTalk] Routing cables under buried radials

[Ignacy Misztal]

Unfortunately it is Georgia clay, sometimes mixed with sand, and a few
inches of topsoil.
Ignacy NO9E

On Wed, Feb 23, 2022 at 9:42 PM Lee K. Brown MD via TowerTalk <
towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:

> What is the soil like under the radials? If it's regular old soil, (not
> clay) you can buy an attachment for a garden hose that emits a strong jet
> of water that can create a passageway through soil, for instance under
> structures like sidewalks. Been there, done that.
> Lee, KI7UR
>
> Lee K. Brown MDProfessor of Internal Medicine (Tenured)Division of
> Pulmonary, Critical Care, andSleep MedicineProfessor of
> PediatricsUniversity of New Mexico School of Medicine
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Alker <ka6ken at alker.net>
> To: Ignacy Misztal <no9e at arrl.net>; tower and HF Antenna Construction
> Topics. <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Wed, Feb 23, 2022 12:03 pm
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Routing cables under buried radials
>
> If you decide to do option #1, there is a company in Santa Barbara that I
> hired once that owns a "pig" or "torpedo" or "mole" (pneumatic-powered
> long
> slender hammering device that look like a giant bullet) they use to bore
> horizontal holes underground.  You did not state how far you need to go,
> and I'm not sure how far they can bore, but this is likely an option.
> First they dig a hole in the ground that is probably five or six feet long
> and couple of feet wide.  Depth depends on how far you want your conduit
> submerged.  Then they drop their boring device into the hole and they hook
> an air compressor up to it and it starts pounding its way across your
> yard.
> I believe I paid about $1000 to get this done and it took an afternoon to
> go maybe 60' under a very large patio.  That said, it was for a
> non-profit,
> so I may have been given a pretty good deal.  I also knew the contractor.
> That said, if you can locate a company like this in your town (they often
> work for the cable company or ISP or telco or electric company or gas
> company laying fiber, pipes, etc.) that might want some weekend work then
> maybe you can strike a deal that is within your budget.  Keep in mind that
> it will break things in its path like irrigation lines.
>
> Ken
>
> --On Wednesday, February 23, 2022 1:19 PM -0500 Ignacy Misztal
> <no9e at arrl.net> wrote:
>
> > I have a 100 ft tower that is surrounded by 36 100 ft radials and 4 x 20
> > 50 radials. Coax and rotor cable are buried. The area is planted with
> > grass.
> >
> > I would like to add more radials but a question is what to do if
> > additional cables are needed past the radial field, e.g., for additional
> > towers.
> >
> > Here are a few options.
> >
> > 1. Try to put a 4 inch PVC pipe below the radials. Lots of work.
> >
> > 2. Remove or cut radials, bury a PVC pipe and then solder the radials.
> > Less work but soldering back critical
> >
> > 3. Just put cables on top. After 1-2 years they will migrate underground.
> > Not sure if a riding mower, or a truck (to install a new tower) can do
> > damage. Or enough damage creating intermittents, e.g.,  with OM8000
> > amplifiers (if purchased).
> >
> > 4. Bury 2-3 cables under the radials and use Green Heron stuff for WiFi
> > switching, including remote rotor controllers.
> >
> > 5. Route additional cables around the radial field with better coax to
> > compensate for extra length.
> >
> > 6. ???
> >
> > Ignacy NO9E
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
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