[HCARC] Vertical Antenna Radial System

[ALoneStarYank at aol.com]

Gary,
   If you'd like my input concerning this subject, it will take  me a few 
days to put my thoughts into an email which will answer all of your  
questions. When I was a "newbie" at one point I owned a Hustler 6BTV for about 5  
years (I also purchased the 80 meter top coil assembly. The 5BTV is exactly  
the same, minus the 80 meter section.). This antenna is lovenly referred to 
as a  "6 Band Trapped Dummy Load". It has no gain, BUT it will work fine if 
properly  installed. I easily worked over 125 countries with it. If you have 
an antenna  analyzer, it is a snap to assemble, and tune for each band so 
that no tuner will  be needed. As you know, an HF vertical antenna picks up 
more man-made electrical  noise. For a "newbie", it's a great antenna for the 
price. You must, however,  assemble it correctly for it to work properly. 
You also need a choke  balun right at the antenna connections to the coax in 
the form of 8-10  tightly wound turns of whatever coax you decide to use. Not 
doing this may cause  rf to flow back down the coax shield and into your 
shack causing you to possibly  get rf burns while touching the rig even if 
it's grounded.  
 
 PS - No need to spend that kind of money on a radial plate. I'll tell  you 
more, later.
 
Bob W2IK
 
 
In a message dated 10/10/2012 4:09:20 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
qltfnish at omniglobal.net writes:

Almost  everything I read about putting radials down for a vertical antenna 
has a  radically different answer.  In many cases they preface their  
recommendations with "it depends on how conductive your ground is".   Since I am 
on typical to better than typical Hill Country rocky ledge soil,  what kind 
of radial system will I need.  When I say my land is better  than the 
average Hill Country soil I mean that compared to the Hunt Ingram  area with its 
almost all rock, and compared to the soil around the area North  of Tierra 
Linda which is almost all rock, I have some good soil and some rocky  areas.  
I do have to garden in raised beds and I do drill holes with my  Big Hammer 
drill for T-post installation.   I surely do not have as  good a soil as the 
alluvial plains along the river.  My questions are: 1)  what should the 
center plate should be made from - copper, brass, aluminum,  stainless steel??? 
 Would a ring of soft copper A/C freon line work vs a  plate??  2) what 
metal should the rad
ials be made from copper,  aluminum and what gauge??  (3) how to attach - 
nuts and bolts, silver  soldered, regular electrical soldered and last 4) how 
many radials??  I  have heard anything from 4-120 recommended.  DX 
engineering says 60 for  the Hustler 5-btv antenna I picked up from Gale H. 
yesterday, but that number  matches the number of holes and bolts on the $150.00 
radial plate system they  sell - i.e. they probably have some bias.  One thing 
I have heard is "the  more the better", but that probably has a level of 
diminishing  returns.

73's

Gary  J
N5"BAA"
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