[Elecraft] Radials for vertical

[John W. Tipka]

Doug,

I am using a Butternut HF2V vertical on 80 and 40 meters. The HF2V is a 
base loaded ground mounted antenna. The HF2V is sitting atop 24 radials 
separated 15 degrees apart from each other. Half of the radials are 66 
feet long; the remaining 12 radials are each 32 feet long.
I used a sidewalk grass edger and removed the sidewalk guide to cut 
slots 2 inches deep into the ground. I had a "fishtail" dandelion cutter 
that I used to push 1100 feet of #10 copper wire down into the slots. I 
used a chalk line to guide the edger. It worked like a dream come true. 
The HF2V is sited on 2 acres in the open with no bends in the radials. 
The radials are connected to two 8 foot long copper coated ground rods 
bonded together. They are bonded to the base of the HF2V just above the 
fiberglass rod insulator. The rods and antenna are bonded together with 
a short piece of #6 stranded copper wire. The hardest job for me, now 
nearing 80 years old, was driving in the ground rods. I used a fence 
post driver until the bottom of its tube touched the ground, and then 
finished with an 8 pound sledgehammer.  I guess pneumatic and even 
electrical impact drivers are now available for that job. But, I was 
lucky in that no rocks were in the way of the ground rods driven into 
fertile central Ohio farmland.

The results were amazing. SWR of 1.0:1 at 3585 KHz; SWR 1.2:1 at 
7045KHz. Bandwidth on 80 M between 2.0:1 points is 73 KHz; on 40 meters 
- a bandwidth of 96 KHz. I also have a Cushcraft R8 vertical with no 
radials except those a part of the antenna. The base of the R8 is 12 
feet above ground with a SWR of 1.8:1 at 7045 KHz. It has a bandwidth of 
14 KHz between 2.0:1 SWR points. The HF2V puts the R8 to shame. The HF2V 
has proved to be my long haul antenna to work into JA, UA0, YB, 3W2, 
E21, FR, FO, etc. from central Ohio.

I didn't skimp on wire. I don't know how symmetry of the radials affects 
performance. My radials are perfectly symmetrical laid out using  a 
rafter framing square and chalk line. I used the center of the tops of 
ground rods that extend two inches above  ground as the focus. Yes, the 
wire was somewhat pricey, but it paid off for me.  The aluminum wire 
that you have should work just fine placed in the ground in your grassy 
meadow. I can't comment on 43 foot verticals as I have no experience 
with them. I found that the more wire in the ground, the better the 
antenna operation. You will be pleasantly pleased.  Good luck with it.

73 John W8UL

On 6/29/2014 3:07 PM, Doug Person via Elecraft wrote:
> Most people would think we're well into Summer.  Not here in the High 
> Rockies.  Summer here has just begun.  Time to mend some fences. Now 
> the point: I just pulled about a mile of #11 soft drawn aluminum wire 
> - mostly in 50' to 100' lengths.  Normally its electrified and the 
> cattle won't touch it.  But last year the charger died and the cattle 
> just shredded the wire to get into my grassy meadow.
>
> So now I have all this aluminum wire that I would hate to throw away.  
> So I'm thinking of making a really good ground plane and putting up a 
> vertical of some kind.  I have enough scrap tubing to make about 38' 
> or so.  I was thinking of putting a remote tuner at the base of the 
> vertical as the length of coax to reach it will probably be at least 
> 150'.
>
> So I'd be interested in comments on how to configure the radials in 
> terms of length and number.  I know there's some guys on this 
> reflector that real know a lot about this sort of thing.
>
> Thanks & 73,
>
> Doug -- K0DXV
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