[Antennas] Diminishing Returns - New Question

[Alex]

Hi guys:
One thing to remember!
Any and I mean any vertical antenna - from 1/8 to 5/8 wavelengths long works
bets against radials! That's physics, not witchcraft! 
You can make all kinds of tricks to make such an antenna work of sorts, with
few radials or ground plane, but you'll never make it work as well as with a
full set of radials! This is one of the reasons you hear so many complaints
about how bad it radiates!
It's true that verticals are actually no less complicated to install because
of the radials, but installing any kind of antenna requiring a tower
requires also a lot of work, not withstanding the fight over restrictions
and height limitations! 
What you will NOT get from a tower mounted antenna is the low angle of
radiation, inherent in a vertical antenna: I can refer you to the sterling
work of N6PL (Capt. Paul K. Lee, USN) put forth in his book "Vertical
Antenna Handbook". The guy spent his life working with vertical- shipborne
and land borne_ so he knows what he's talking about!
Don't fret! Put it up by the rules and you'll be glad you did: I used a 21
feet aluminum pipe with an LDG autotuner at the base and got away from my
4Zulu location to Korea in the East and to Argentina in the West quite
easily, at the bottom of the cycle!
73 and all the best:
Alex	4Z5KS


-----Original Message-----
From: antennas-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:antennas-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David C. Hallam
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 7:14 PM
To: Merv Stump
Cc: 'Antennas'
Subject: Re: [Antennas] Diminishing Returns - New Question

These are not to be tuned radials.  They will be ground mounted in the 
grass.  The antenna is a Butternut HV6V vertical.  To simplify matters, 
I will cut all the radials to 40 ft. which seems to be the about the 
minimum length recommended for the lowest operating frequency, 80M.

Why are verticals such a PITA?  I have dealt with yagis, quads, assorted 
long wires, and Windoms with never this much trouble.

Years ago when I was a novice I used a Mosley RV-4.  Ground mounted, no 
radials, no nothing and never had a problem with it.  I could work 
anyone I could hear.  I put the 80M loading coil on it, but worked 
little 80M.

David
KC2JD/4

Merv Stump wrote:
> Definitely do not strip the wire.  The insulation will have no affect on
> performance; will be much easier to work with and will last longer.
> 
> However, if you are planning to cut the radials to resonance keep in mind
> that insulated wire will be a little electrically long (probably somewhere
> between 1 and 3 percent).  So you will have to cut them a little shorter
> than you might have thought.
> 
> Regards, Merv W2OE
> 
> 
> 
> 

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