"Richard Clark" wrote in message
The best case, with a ground loss approaching 0 ohms, would
have a VSWR of 50/36= 1.39:1.
___________

A set of 120 buried radials each at least 1/4-wave long (free space value)
will produce an r-f ground resistance of around 2 ohms, maybe less in soil
with very good conductivity.

But in any case the impedance existing between the base of a series-fed
vertical monopole and the common point of the buried radials will depend on
the electrical height of the monopole which includes the ratio of its height
to its width, as well as the r-f resistance in the ground system itself.

Broadcast stations will install the tower and radials, measure the Z from
the tower base to the radials, and transform whatever that value is to 50
+j0 ohms using a network at the base of the tower.

Fewer radials will mean that the ground loss will increase, and system
radiation efficiency will decrease (even if the VSWR is 1:1)

RF