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Roy Lewallen · October 28th 06, 01:21 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna

wrote:
Hi, John.
You seem to be confusing radial wires with ground screen wires. Radial
wires must be insulated from the ground because they need to be
specific lengths for the frequency they are cut for. The ground screen
is made of non-inslated wires on the ground surface, or buried slightly
under it.
. . .

In 30 years or so of reading and studying professional and amateur
texts, I've never encountered this distinction. "Radial" refers to the
fact that the wires radiate radially outward from the antenna base, and
they're properly called "radials" whether buried or elevated. Common
usage is to refer to buried radial wires as "buried radials" and
elevated ones as "elevated radials". Either buried or elevated radials
can be insulated or bare. Wires right on the surface of the ground
sometimes behave like elevated radials (that is, show resonance effects)
unless they're held down to make intimate contact with the ground.

When you see the term "ground screen" in the literature, it usually
refers to something like buried chicken wire or other screen-like material.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL