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