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Old September 28th 06, 06:29 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
Charlie Charlie is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Sep 2006
Posts: 32
Default TOOL FOR CUTTING EARTH & BURYING RADIALS ????

I can second that method from personal experience. When I installed my
ground mounted Hustler 5-BTV I laid the 72 radials on top of the ground (
this happened to be in the dead of winter with very little grass height) and
held them in place with 1 1/2" "fence staples" pushed into the earth. I then
covered them lightly with some soil and next summer they were well beneath
the grass height and no issues with the lawn mower.

Pictures (before & after) of the entire installation here at this page.

1. http://www.ad5th.com/5-BTV.html

73,
Charlie - AD5TH



"Bill Turner" wrote in message
...
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:13:54 GMT, (Ron
Goldstein--KA2IIA) wrote:

A friend of mine told me that at Dayton, over the past few years, he has
seen a
tool that looks like a lineoleum knife with a small tube welded onto it
for
cutting the earth and burying an antenna radial at the same time. You feed
the
wire through the tube, and as the tool cuts the earth, it dispenses and
buries
the wire. Has anyone seen this tool, and who makes it ??? Where can I buy
one
???


------------ REPLY FOLLOWS ------------

This isn't what you asked, but you might consider not burying the
radials at all unless you have to. Radials on top of the ground are
slightly more efficient because the RF energy does not have to
penetrate the lossy earth to reach the radials. If you have grass,
just lay the radials down and tack them in place with some homemade
staples. In a few months the grass will grow over them and you'll
never see them again.

Of course, if you're putting them on top of bare earth, you may have
to bury them for safety reasons.

Just a thought.

Bill, W6WRT