On 19 Jan 2006 16:28:53 GMT, "Bill Turner" wrote:

wrote:

Question:

Is you are making a HF-ground (radials just below the surface) Should
these radials be insulated or not?

73 John
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Insulated will reduce corrosion. Don't bury them any deeper than
necessary. Lying on top of the ground is better. Dirt is not a good
antenna element.

Bill, I often see the assertion that it is better to not bury radials.

Can you point me to any reputable texts or experimental evidence that
shows the difference between shallow buried radials and radials lying
"on top of the ground"?

Corrosion is often cited as a reason to use insulated buried radials,
but is corrosion a significant risk in most locations. We widely use
buried copper water pipes here, and copper clad earthing electrodes
for the MEN power supply earthing, yet they don't seem to suffer
significant corrosion in most places.

It seems to me that insulated buried radials are likely to be less
effective in a lightning protection role.

Owen
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