[ADXA] FW: Question about wire mesh ground system

Tue Sep 24 16:37:21 EDT 2019

EJ,

Remember, we used galvanized poultry wire over on my old 80/160 shunted tower. It worked pretty well for 2 - 3 years then it started getting some corrosion issues. We pulled up some where it was exposed and left the rest where the grass had taken it. Later it was all replaced with 100 good 1/4 wave 16 Ga insulated which worked much better for 160m but at a higher cost. Personally, I prefer elevated radials at 8 - 10’ as fewer are required, especially in directional XMT arrays. Also, the mower likes them better. 

73 

David A. Norris, K5UZ
Director, Delta Division

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 24, 2019, at 8:04 AM, EJ <ejj at suddenlink.net> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Jay!  Great articles.  I’ve been considering trying to do some receiving on 630.  Like Joel said everybody has their own opinions about ground systems
>  
> EJ
>  
> From: adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jay Bromley
> Sent: Monday, September 23, 2019 10:14 PM
> To: adxa at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [ADXA] FW: Question about wire mesh ground system
>  
> Ej and all interested in an update on Chicken wire and or mesh wire ground system.  Please see below and attached.  Like I mentioned before your mileage may vary.  We have different soil here than Rob does, but anything is better than trying nothing!  Still Rob knows his stuff and how to  make it work!  I always learn something new from him. 
>  
> There are two attachments with this email I am forwarding from Rob and if they don’t get through the ADXA reflector and if you would like a copy, just let me know and I will send them direct.  One about 630m using the wire mesh and sort of a updated version of the Ham Radio May 1977 article on the wire mesh ground screen.
>  
> All are very interesting, including the below!  Many thanks to Rob for allowing me cross post!  73 de w5jay/jay..
>  
> From: Rob Sherwood. <rob at nc0b.com> 
> Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2019 11:13 PM
> To: Jay Bromley <jayw5jay at cox.net>
> Subject: RE: Question about wire mesh under antenna
>  
> Hi Jay,
>  
> Nice to hear from you again.
>  
> My HR Magazine article used chicken wire simply because it was cheap, and I could cut it up, make measurements with different layouts of the screen and then throw it away.  My permanent ground screen that went down beside my house in 1971 where I still live part of the time is dip galvanized hardware mesh.   It is 3x30 feet, or there about.  I don’t operate on 160m in Denver any longer due to the vastly higher noise level than in the 1970s. 
>  
> The dip galvanized hardware mesh is steel, and is easy to solder to until it gets wet once.  If you have very acid or caustic soil I can see that the mesh I have been using for decades could be a problem. 
>  
> 99% of my operating is now at my rural QTH 35 miles east of Ft. Collins, CO. 
>  
> I just gave a presentation on my 630 meter operation at the Duke City Hamfest / Hamcon.  Attached is a PDF version, and you can see the mesh in one picture.  It is several pieces tied together mechanically and electrically.  It is approximately 650 square feet, in more or less two lengths 7x50 in and X.  Roger VK4YB and I currently hold the distance record of over 8000 miles on 475 kHz. We used WSJT X JT9, and we  have had three complete QSOs on 630m, in November of last year and March of this year, so I can say my ground system is pretty good. 
>  
> The mesh wasn’t new when I put it down 12.5 years ago, and it has sense been covered with soil after a flood washed away a pile of dirt in my pack yard.  Also there is now native grass in the back yard, so it is not possible to see the mesh any longer.  A few years after I installed the Marconi T antenna at my rural QTH, I also added forty 100-foot radials, as covered in the Dayton Hamvention Antenna Forum circa 2009.
>  
> I don’t know anything about high power shortwave stations, but I have used stainless mobile whips since the 1960s.  There would be more loss in stainless, so I suppose if one is transmitting at 100 KW this could be an issue.  I doubt it is an issue at 1500 watts.
>  
> While there may be copper mesh, the cost would likely be astronomical. 
>  
> The 630m presentation shows my current tuners for 160 and 630m.  The old picture of the ground screen had a fixed L network in a blue case that was not remotely tunable.  Now I can tune the L network from the shack.  Rotary inductor and a vacuum variable.   I don’t presently remotely tune the 630m tuner.
>  
> Rob
> NC0B
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