[UK-CONTEST] Attaching Radials

[Cooper, Stewart]

Chris,
I used a piece of copper pipe, bent it into a circle, used a vice to flatten the ends and drilled holes to make it a complete ring. I then used a vice to flatten the ring at 8 points, then drilled holes at those flattened points and put a nut and bolt through each hole. I have 16 bunches of 4 radial wires. Each bunch is terminated to a tag. Then I attach 2 tags (8 radials) to each bolt. This gives 64 radials, which are laid out on the grass in October. They have all sunk under the grass now. The ring is then strapped to an earth rod and the lower metal parts of the vertical (below the insulator). I have a picture of this on my web page www.gm4aff.net. Click on the 'Simple 80m Vertical' link.
73
Stewart
GM4AFF

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of G3SJJ
Sent: 15 March 2006 16:40
To: UK Contest Reflector
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] Attaching Radials


Not the wx for attenna work but needs must, one of the 40m phased array
feed lines developed an intermittent on the braid connection. Whilst
sorting that out I decided to rip the old radials up and start again as
there was only about 10 left of the original lot on that element.
Managed to get 14 out before I lost circulation completely in my fingers.

A Spring project to add more so here's my question. What is the best way
to attach radials?

I normally make up bunches of 5 or 7, each bunch terminated in one tag.
I then put several of these plus the coax braid on a single bolt through
a clamp on an earth rod. On the 80m gp, I use thicker wire, mainly from
older antenna projects which were cluttering up the garage, so they are
made up in pairs.

I visited G4AMN recently and saw his 80m 4Sq. Each element had 80
radials individually terminated on a plate around the base. That seems
quite a major task. So I wondered whether I would see any improvement
over my method.

Low angle and gain seems ok as it seems to cope with long path VK, ZL,
W6, VE7 ok so I am particularly looking to improve the front to back,
which whilst is good, I feel could be better.

Chris G3SJJ


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