Do a web search for "OWL" (qualifying it with ground conductivity-related
terms to cut down the references to the bird and other contexts). I
believe it stands for "open wire line", and the last I heard, was the
standard way of measuring RF ground conductivity. It involves a buried
open wire line, but that's about all I know about it.

There's certainly nothing wrong with learning to measure ground
characteristics as an educational process. No matter what seemingly
useless learning exercise I undertake, I ultimately learn many other
things from it. By all means, go for it.

I'd love to see some results from one of the good field solving programs
for stratified grounds, even something contrived, and even a simple
vertical with buried or elevated ground system. What I'd like to know is
whether there really is a single value you could assign to a single
homogeneous ground and get the same results. I suspect not, but have no
proof one way or the other.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

The acronym "OWL", could also mean "Optimal Well Locator", which uses soil
conductivity parameters. Dan Richardson's link to a paper by Rudy Severns:
http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/files/...urements_2.pdf,
does refer to the "Open Wire Line" method of measuring ground conductivity,
and looks extremely interesting.

I have some minimal experience with HFSS (Also known as "Highly Frustrating
Structure Simulator"), and could probably borrow the key to run it at home.
Just the same, to model stratified ground you have to know what is
underground, so you are back to large back yard excavations. I did notice,
during the construction of this house, that the ground appeard to be 100%
clay. I could not see any sign of bedrock.

Frank