..J.S... wrote:
I am using a vertical dipole (Sigma 5) 1m above ground.
Will it make sense to try to improve the ground by digging in lots of wires
around the antenna ?




Regards/JS


Hi J.S.

Cebik says concerning the Inverted L antenna- which is similar to the
vertical Dipole that : "There is little evidence, despite the vertical
position of one arm of the antenna, that the inverted-L would benefit
from a ground plane beneath the antenna. The actual low-angle gain of
the inverted-L will, however, vary with the quality of the soil in the
region of reflection at a distance from the vertical arm. All patterns
were taken over average soil, and soils that are either poor or better
than average will tend to show a higher gain and lower take-off angle,
at least on the fundamental frequency."

You might do well to read his articles at : http://www.cebik.com/radio.html
He has quite a few dealing with the effects of different radial systems
for vertical antennas.

Food for thought and it might save you time and back breaking labor.

73 Dave