Ian, theres's far too much unwarranted fuss about ground radials in ordinary
English gardens and back yards. Just lay a few wires, 6 to 12 in number.
beneath a trodden-on, compacted soil surface, with lengths of a few metres,
perhaps 5 to 10 metres, and away you go.

Don't forget to attach to the incoming main water pipe and the domestic
plumbing system if you have one. Also the electricity supply ground. And
then stop! Or stop before then and see how well it works.
----
Reg.

Reg Edwards wrote:
Ian, theres's far too much unwarranted fuss about ground radials in
ordinary English gardens and back yards. Just lay a few wires, 6 to 12
in number. beneath a trodden-on, compacted soil surface, with lengths
of a few metres, perhaps 5 to 10 metres, and away you go.


Sorry, Reg, you have no way to know how many radials someone else needs.

The 'right' radial layout for any given person will depend on their
available space, their resources, their limitations, their style of
operating (casual, DXing or contesting), and above all their antennas -
none of which you actually know.

For example, in presuming that my next radial installation will be in an
"ordinary English garden", you'd actually be wrong on all three counts!


To everyone else out the if you want to know how many radials you
need, go find out everything you can about radials, from every possible
source. There's lots of it out there. With each bit of information you
find, judge its probable reliability and its relevance to your
particular situation. Then make your own decision.


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

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 18:27:28 +0000, "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

The 'right' radial layout for any given person will depend on their
available space, their resources, their limitations, their style of
operating (casual, DXing or contesting), and above all their antennas -
none of which you actually know.

For example, in presuming that my next radial installation will be in an
"ordinary English garden", you'd actually be wrong on all three counts!


Once upon a time....I had an 18AVT trapped vertical, which due to the
lack of gardening activities in the winter, I had added a number of
insulated wire radials lying on the surface of the grass. I kept
adding to these as time went by and wire became available.

One night, after a few evenings listening to the DX on 80m, I gathered
them all into a small arc pointing at the Caribbean. There must have
been 200 or 300 radial wires spread over ~10 degrees.

A local Amateur friend using an FT200 tuned up and waited until a KV4
station called, and he was the first station pulled out of the
following European pile-up, with a cracking signal report. It's just
anecdote, but I believe the 18AVT was working well in the manner I had
anticipated. It's my belief that you can't have too much in the way of
radials.....but each to his own.
--
from
Aero Spike

"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
Reg Edwards wrote:
Iasnip

For example, in presuming that my next radial installation will be in an
"ordinary English garden", you'd actually be wrong on all three counts!
one..........two .......three

Are we off to Spain?

Art


snip


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

"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
Reg Edwards wrote:
Ian, theres's far too much unwarranted fuss about ground radials in
ordinary English gardens and back yards. Just lay a few wires, 6 to 12
in number. beneath a trodden-on, compacted soil surface, with lengths
of a few metres, perhaps 5 to 10 metres, and away you go.


Sorry, Reg, you have no way to know how many radials someone else needs.

The 'right' radial layout for any given person will depend on their
available space, their resources, their limitations, their style of
operating (casual, DXing or contesting), and above all their antennas -
none of which you actually know.

For example, in presuming that my next radial installation will be in an
"ordinary English garden", you'd actually be wrong on all three counts!


To everyone else out the if you want to know how many radials you
need, go find out everything you can about radials, from every possible
source. There's lots of it out there. With each bit of information you
find, judge its probable reliability and its relevance to your
particular situation. Then make your own decision.

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

Ian, may I suggest you join forces with the Ph.D student on this newsgroup
who wants to develop an explicit formula to "Calculate the Earth resistance
in a Multi-layer Ground Structure". Your problems are not unrelated.

And come back in 20 years time to report your unsuccessful findings. ;o)
----
Reg