"Steve Stone" wrote in message
...
I have a 5 band Hustler vertical.

Available install space in my backyard is an area adjacent to my septic
system leach field.

I really don't want to place the antenna in the middle of the leach
field and risk hitting an outflow pipe.
If I put it just outside of the reach of the outflow pipes the ground is
still relatively moist due to natural run off and the leach field.

So will this leach field moisture enhance or inhibit the verticals
performance due to soil conductivity.. or none of the above if the
antenna is installed as indicated in the Hustler installation manual. (2
radials per band using insulated copper wire, 4 foot
metal mast pounded directly into the ground, no concrete, no wood).

There is also a 4 foot high chain link fence surrounding my backyard,
300' x 150', one side about 25 feet from the potential install location.
No trees or shrubs closer than 15 feet from the vertical mast.

Steve
N2UBP

You would have to test the conductivity. If you have good soil conductivity
several wavelengths out from your property it will surely add to
performance.

The problem with moisture close to the surface is corrosion. Get the ground
and coax connections up out of the marsh by a foot and seal them.

It probably wouldn't hurt to carefully dig a post hole so you can feel
around, then just fill with gravel.

A pole in the ground does little for RF performance. You can't get
resistance low enough to avoid great losses. Currents are greater in the
first 1/8 wavelength so there is no substitute for keeping low resistance
metal there. Add at least 8 or more full 1/4 wave for the lowest frequency
(and preferably 100 more). It will be more critical at the lower
frequencies. The 2 per band act as a counterpoise and will help keep RF out
of the shack, but do little for performance by themselves. The goal is to
capacitively couple to the surface of the ground with a field of multiple
radials.

I hate chain link fences. Not a big problem when new, but as they age they
actually generate harmonics when you transmit near them. I have a Butternut
HF9v on a metal roof. I had to pay attention to hardware on the roof and
bonding to the metal carport. Traced bad TVI to corrosion on a nearby TV
mast. On a normal roof I would seriously consider running many radials
inside the attic, then lightly camo paint the antenna with Krylon Flat
Acrylic to match the view from the neighbors and break up reflectivity.
Beware though darker colors may detune because of the pigment.