I've read a lot about radials: elevated vs. gull-wings vs. underground,
how many (120/64/31/16/4/2/0), etc. After reading the following, maybe
someone will tell me if I did right or wrong. This is long, but the
nitty-gritty details might be necessary for a good answer.

I recently erected a 20-meter vertical in my front yard with 16 equally-
spaced, about-20-foot-long, UNinsulated radials (electric-fence wire)
around its base starting at a metal plate and just laid on grass about
3 inches above the soil and "pinned" (with about 8-inch-long stiff-wire
loops) to the soil at the ends to keep them taut/straight. The metal
plate was "grounded" with a 2-feet-long metal rod driven into the soil.

The antenna worked acceptably well, so I decided to make it more
permanent (and the radials less-likely to be tripped over!-) by
mowing the grass REALLY short and resituating the radials such that
they are now only about an inch above the soil (and will soon be
hidden below 2 inches of grass). I also "pinned" the radials a
little more tightly to the soil once or twice along their lengths.

While doing that, I realized that if I lengthened two of the radials
by about 10 feet, I could connect them to 8-foot ground rods (at the
bases of a tower and a flagpole) that were themselves connected (with
thick, multi-strand, insulated copper wires that run from the tops of
the ground rods horizontally about 10 feet and then 9 feet down) to
a 75-foot-long Ufer ground that goes around about half of the
foundation of my basement.

My worry revolves around the fact that, while my radials are NOT *IN*
the soil, they are pretty-well connected TO the soil, and two of them
are connected to the best ground I could buy when my house was being
built. Have I done wrong by grounding them, or should I have used
INSULATED radials and NOT "pinned" them to the soil and NOT connected
them to my Ufer ground?

--W0PBV.
--
--Myron A. Calhoun.
Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and cartridge
NRA Life Member & Certified Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, & Home Firearm Safety
Also Certified Instructor for the Kansas Concealed-Carry Handgun (CCH) license

On Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:32:35 +0000 (UTC),
(Myron A. Calhoun) wrote:

My worry revolves around the fact that, while my radials are NOT *IN*
the soil, they are pretty-well connected TO the soil, and two of them
are connected to the best ground I could buy when my house was being
built. Have I done wrong by grounding them, or should I have used
INSULATED radials and NOT "pinned" them to the soil and NOT connected
them to my Ufer ground?

Hi Myron,

What you describe up to this "worry" sounded fine to the point of
being classic.

The radials are in very tight coupling with "ground" (earth, common,
....). As for the rest of it, the Ufer ground, the rods, and extra
accoutrements - they reduce shock and lightning hazard and are only
vaguely related to your RF needs.

As always, ensure that all grounds (including the point where all the
radials converge) are tied together according to code.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

"Myron A. Calhoun" wrote in message
...
I've read a lot about radials: elevated vs. gull-wings vs. underground,
how many (120/64/31/16/4/2/0), etc. After reading the following, maybe
someone will tell me if I did right or wrong. This is long, but the
nitty-gritty details might be necessary for a good answer.

I recently erected a 20-meter vertical in my front yard with 16 equally-
spaced, about-20-foot-long, UNinsulated radials (electric-fence wire)
around its base starting at a metal plate and just laid on grass about
3 inches above the soil and "pinned" (with about 8-inch-long stiff-wire
loops) to the soil at the ends to keep them taut/straight. The metal
plate was "grounded" with a 2-feet-long metal rod driven into the soil.

The antenna worked acceptably well, so I decided to make it more
permanent (and the radials less-likely to be tripped over!-) by
mowing the grass REALLY short and resituating the radials such that
they are now only about an inch above the soil (and will soon be
hidden below 2 inches of grass). I also "pinned" the radials a
little more tightly to the soil once or twice along their lengths.

While doing that, I realized that if I lengthened two of the radials
by about 10 feet, I could connect them to 8-foot ground rods (at the
bases of a tower and a flagpole) that were themselves connected (with
thick, multi-strand, insulated copper wires that run from the tops of
the ground rods horizontally about 10 feet and then 9 feet down) to
a 75-foot-long Ufer ground that goes around about half of the
foundation of my basement.

My worry revolves around the fact that, while my radials are NOT *IN*
the soil, they are pretty-well connected TO the soil, and two of them
are connected to the best ground I could buy when my house was being
built. Have I done wrong by grounding them, or should I have used
INSULATED radials and NOT "pinned" them to the soil and NOT connected
them to my Ufer ground?

--W0PBV.
--
--Myron A. Calhoun.
Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and
cartridge
NRA Life Member & Certified Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, & Home Firearm
Safety
Also Certified Instructor for the Kansas Concealed-Carry Handgun (CCH)
license

it sounds like you have done right.