Two different animals Butch, if you have a perfect ground under a short
antenna, adding a capacity hat improves the antenna. With less than perfect
it still helps. Reg has a program you can download that will show you the
gains in efficiency at various hat sizes.

Mounted in the attic, I would put resonant radials for the higher bands
where you have room. Once you have put the best counterpoise you can, add
the capacity hat to improve efficiency.

It is always a trade off, if the hat is too big you won't be able to work
10. With the current direction of the sun spot cycle, I would try to get as
efficient as I could for 20 and below. I would be inclined to string 3
wires, 2 cross corner and 1 end to end of the attic. Tie them together in
the center and run a wire from the junction to the point you normally put
the whip on the screwdriver.

Good luck and let us know what you did and your success with it.

73 Fred W4JLE


"Butch Magee" wrote in message
...
If I decide to put my screwdriver to use (I no longer mobile) up in the
attic or on the roof, would radials about 8ft. be as good or better than
a capacitave top hat?
Perhaps the large hats like DXEngineering has? That 8ft. comes from the
old timers that say the radials should be as long as the physical
height, I don't know 'nuff antenna math to really figure it out.

Butch KF5DE