Highland Ham wrote:
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Having followed this thread for some time , my simple question is :

Are ground rods really necessary for a good " RF Earth " ?

No. But they're essential for a good lightning ground or safety (mains)
ground.

Are buried or elevated radials or an area covered with '(galvanised)
wire mesh' not equally effective or even superior ?

For RF, yes. For lightning or safety ground, no.

You should be able to find a great deal of information about the
different requirements for different grounds by searching previous
postings of this newsgroup with groups.google.com.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL