On May 11, 8:23*am, "Richard" wrote:
Has anyone ever bored a hole into the ground and dangled a radial or
counterpoise down it instead of burying a radial 6" horizontally under the
ground or stringing out a counterpoise?

Any promise in doing this? Or is it a non-starter?

Letter from June 1949 QST:

Dear Editor: I have followed with great interest your articles and
correspondence on underground antennas.

I tried several directive beams buried in four feet of moist earth.
After several reports from various hams I found I had no more power
than with the old skywire. I dug deeper - even tried rhombics - but
reports were still the same ('Nice sig, OM, but some guy in Califormia
has 10kw right on you.')!!! I consulted the old faithful ARRL Handbook
and decided to try a multiple-wavelength vertical on ten meters.

I did not have to look far for a suitable antenna site. We have a 200-
foot well right in our basement. I hooked a variometer to the final
tank and from same connected a No. 6 stranded wire to a pipe running
into the well.

I was delighted to raise a C2 in Hankow, China, on my first CQ.
Chinese stations were heard that pinned the S-meter on the receiver.

I soon discovered that all I could work were Chinese amateurs. Now
wouldn't this bear out the Handbook theory that 'the more wavelengths
an antenna has, the more it tends to radiate straight off the end'? -
W7LLE