[Antennas] Mesh vs Radials

[k3hx at verizon.net]

Bob,

I'm sending you my charts and tables on radials.  

Expect them in the mail Monday.

You may wish to reconsider the "mesh" project.  If you

were to cover an area 50' x 75' this would involve

3750 square feet of copper mesh at considerable expense.

As the mesh I've seen comes in 3' wide rolls, you 

would also have to solder 1250 lineal feet of seams.

There is a very good discussion of how many radials 

are enough in the ON4UN "Low Band DX-ing " book.


Assuming you were to put the vertical in the center

of an area 50' x 75'  radial lengths would vary from

25' to about 40' long.  About half of the radials

would be about .25 wavelength or longer on 40 meters.


I think you would do well to lay down 30 or 60 radials

from the center and deal with the slight loss in

radiated  signal.  

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX