[Antennas] Radial Wires VS a wire or screen mesh

[K2RS]

Hello David.

Your setup sounds very similar to what my friend described to me, 
although the topic of our conversation was 160 meter antennas. It's 
entirely possible I misunderstood that he was talking about a radial 
system for an 80-meter antenna that could be adapted to 160.

As you mentioned, it still seems the most important point is to get as 
much wire, mesh, fencing, etc., on the ground and connect all of it to 
multiple ground rods at the base of the antenna. Very few hams have the 
capability of building textbook vertical antenna installations on 160 
meters due to the physical constraints of their property. In the real 
world, even big-sig DXers and contesters have to adapt to the conditions 
presented to them by their surroundings. With 160 meters, for most of us 
it's a case of making the best of the situation . . . whatever that 
situation may be.

BTW, David, I'm a new YCCC member and I've seen your posts on the club 
reflector. It's nice to run into you here, too.

Jack   K2RS


K1TTT wrote:
> I use 2"x4" mesh fence wire under my raised radials on my 80m 4-square.
> When I first did the installation I did measurements as I added radials to
> the first vertical and then as I rolled out 150'x4' in a cross pattern under
> the vertical.  There was much more change going from 4 to 8 raised radials
> than there was in adding the screen, but it did seem to help a bit.  The
> wire in that fencing is much heavier than chicken wire and I have gotten 5
> or 6 years out of it so far.  I roll it up in the spring so I can cut
> grass/weed under it and roll it out again before the fall contests and snow
> start flying.
>
>
> David Robbins K1TTT
> e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
> web: http://www.k1ttt.net
> AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net
>