wrote:
get a mechanised pizza cutter to make the wire slots and place it on
the wheel of a wheel barrow

Art, you're a genius!

SM2CEW's website describes a radial plough which attaches to the back of
a tractor, and can lay a full-sized Top Band radial in 2 minutes. I had
been lamenting the lack of a Volvo tractor (or the space to lay such
long radials) but a blade attached to a wheelbarrow might just do it...
or even to the lawn mower.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 22:51:14 +0000, "Ian White, G3SEK" wrote:

wrote:
get a mechanised pizza cutter to make the wire slots and place it on
the wheel of a wheel barrow

Art, you're a genius!

SM2CEW's website describes a radial plough which attaches to the back of
a tractor, and can lay a full-sized Top Band radial in 2 minutes. I had
been lamenting the lack of a Volvo tractor (or the space to lay such
long radials) but a blade attached to a wheelbarrow might just do it...
or even to the lawn mower.

Opens up a whole new perspective on mowing the lawn.


Jock.

--

"Education is a progressive discovery of our
own ignorance."
- Will Durant

On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 22:51:14 +0000, "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

wrote:
get a mechanised pizza cutter to make the wire slots and place it on
the wheel of a wheel barrow

Art, you're a genius!

SM2CEW's website describes a radial plough which attaches to the back of
a tractor, and can lay a full-sized Top Band radial in 2 minutes. I had
been lamenting the lack of a Volvo tractor (or the space to lay such
long radials) but a blade attached to a wheelbarrow might just do it...
or even to the lawn mower.

I just checked one of my catalogs from a restaurant supply store
(Bridge Kitchenware in New York City), and I notice they sell pizza
cutters with wheels as big as 5 inches in diameter. If you used hose
clamps to attach the handle of a pizza cutter to the end of a broom
handle, I bet that would make a dandy lawn slit cutter for laying
radials.

Bob
k5qwg

Reg Edwards wrote:
6. Is there anything else I should know?

You're going to have backache.

===========================

In all probability he will lay down far more and longer than necessary,
anyway.

If that Ian's garden is anything like this Ian's, in some directions he
will probably be forced to lay down fewer and shorter radials than he'd
like, and he may try to make up for that by overdoing it in other
directions.

He'll probably give up when his back gives out... and still trying to
work out exactly what you meant by "necessary".

Is Sloan's Linament still available?

Certainly, from any good horse-doctor.

I do recall that once upon a time in Yorkshire, two completely new
products came out in similar-sized tubes. One was Deep Heat Rub for bad
backs; the other was Evo-Stik Impact Adhesive. Lighting were bad i' them
days. You can guess the rest...


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

I live in a "no antenna" gated community. So I use a vert. (removable) for 20
M. The radials are simply laid on the ground and they are insulated telephone
wire. (I had plenty), they are twisted together at the base of the antenna and
connected to the braid with an aligator clip. Real high tech here. But I get
out all I want.(K.I.S.S.) All this with 100W and an old HW100.
Bob WA2EAW (retried in FL.)

Ian,

Some practical questions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What is the "best" type of wire (or braid) to use for the radials?

2. How do I bond the radials together? (I guess my 15-watt soldering
iron won't be up to the job ...).

3. What kind of solder and flux should I use?

4. What precautions should I take to minimise the effects of corrosion
at the joints?

5. How deep should I bury the radials? Two inches, six inches, 12
inches?

6. Is there anything else I should know?
__________________________________________________ _______

Some ideas and answers he

www.amgroundsystems.com
--
Philip de Cadenet G4ZOW
Transmitters 'R' Us
http://www.transmittersrus.com

Why not use a roll of wire netting and bury that.

???
"news" wrote in message
...
I need to improve my ground system, and am thinking of burying some
radials under the lawn.

[I realise this is not the most efficient way to do it from an
electrical point of view, but the alternative approach of installing the
radials above the ground is completely out of the question, for
aesthetic reasons].

Some practical questions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What is the "best" type of wire (or braid) to use for the radials?

2. How do I bond the radials together? (I guess my 15-watt soldering
iron won't be up to the job ...).

3. What kind of solder and flux should I use?

4. What precautions should I take to minimise the effects of corrosion
at the joints?

5. How deep should I bury the radials? Two inches, six inches, 12
inches?

6. Is there anything else I should know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are on heavy clay soil that alternates between being very dry and
very wet.

My main interest is in the lower hf bands (40/80/160) and possibly
136kHz.

--
73
Ian, G3NRW

Whatever wrote:
Why not use a roll of wire netting and bury that.

Good question. That method has a good reputation for portable 4-squares,
as used by some MegaDXpeditions. Just roll it out, and away you go.

But it may not be so good for fixed stations, because once it's down
there would be no way back. After the grass has started to grow through
it, it will be impossible to rip up again. If the mesh began to rot
after a few years, it would be very difficult to start again with
conventional radials.

Looking further ahead, laying mesh would 'sterilize' the area for any
kind of future cultivation, unless the whole top surface was planed off
and dumped.

So the question is: how long will galvanized netting or mesh last in
your particular soil?

It is an option I am seriously considering for the new site, but will
take local advice about soil conditions.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

Ian White, G3SEK wrote:
Whatever wrote:

Why not use a roll of wire netting and bury that.

Good question. That method has a good reputation for portable 4-squares,
as used by some MegaDXpeditions. Just roll it out, and away you go.

But it may not be so good for fixed stations, because once it's down
there would be no way back. After the grass has started to grow through
it, it will be impossible to rip up again. If the mesh began to rot
after a few years, it would be very difficult to start again with
conventional radials.

Looking further ahead, laying mesh would 'sterilize' the area for any
kind of future cultivation, unless the whole top surface was planed off
and dumped.

So the question is: how long will galvanized netting or mesh last in
your particular soil?

It is an option I am seriously considering for the new site, but will
take local advice about soil conditions.


Galvanised conductors are really not as good as copper at RF, conductivity
is much lower. Probably not much of a problem for a 50 ohm or more antenna
but for an electrically short one, as might well be used on the lower bands,
the increase in resistance can be significant. Copper is a better choice if
the increased cost is not too significant. Tinned copper is really tin wire
at RF so it is not as good as plain copper.

The smaller the burial depth the better the ground plane will be, in general.
In fact much better results have been obtained with elevated (usually about
6 ft.) radials, but 'the powers that be' usually reject this alternative.
Disguise as a pergola or frame for training some type of plant is a possibility.

Copper will be almost permanent in most soils, galvanised iron wire may only
last a few years, so if you don't plan on repeating the installation the best
choice is plain copper, either insulated or not, with tinned copper a moderate
second and galvanised iron third by a fair way.

Any will be significantly better than mud and stones which are known to be
poor conductors at RF.

vy 73

Andy, M1EBV

Ian White, G3SEK wrote:
Whatever wrote:
Why not use a roll of wire netting and bury that.

Good question. That method has a good reputation for portable 4-squares,
as used by some MegaDXpeditions. Just roll it out, and away you go.

When I was in high school, my Dad had a very large wire chicken
pen. I mounted my 33' downspout vertical on top of it and used
the wire mesh for a slightly elevated ground plane. Worked All
States with it except Idaho (darn it).
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp


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