I bought a Butternut vertical at a hamfest a few weeks ago. All my other
antennas have been dipoles, so this was going to be my first experience
laying radials, I did some looking around for how to's.

Laying the radials on the surface and stapling them down was forbidden
by the XYL.

I tried using a flat spade to make a small trench. PAH! this was going
to take a long time.

Lawn edgers sounded like a good way to go. Wow! the cheapest was 100
bucks! No way for something I'd use once.

Rentals? That was going to be around 60 dollars.

Finally I was at the local Hardware store, and had an inspiration or
maybe worse.

They had an electric chainsaw on sale for 40 bucks.

Bought it, took it home, and trenched and installed my radials in a
couple hours. I need a new chain, but that's all.

Anyone in the locale that is thinking of installing radials and wants
to see this weirdness and get some radials installed at the same time
just give me a shout! 8^)

- Mike KB3EIA -

Mike Coslo wrote:

I bought a Butternut vertical at a hamfest a few weeks ago. All my other
antennas have been dipoles, so this was going to be my first experience
laying radials, I did some looking around for how to's.

Laying the radials on the surface and stapling them down was forbidden
by the XYL.

I tried using a flat spade to make a small trench. PAH! this was going
to take a long time.

Lawn edgers sounded like a good way to go. Wow! the cheapest was 100
bucks! No way for something I'd use once.

Rentals? That was going to be around 60 dollars.

Finally I was at the local Hardware store, and had an inspiration or
maybe worse.

They had an electric chainsaw on sale for 40 bucks.

Bought it, took it home, and trenched and installed my radials in a
couple hours. I need a new chain, but that's all.

Anyone in the locale that is thinking of installing radials and wants
to see this weirdness and get some radials installed at the same time
just give me a shout! 8^)

Mike, I don't bury 'em at all. I lay the wire out, cut pieces of
galvanized fence wire to make "hairpins" three or four inches long and
use those to hold the radial wire down. Before you know it, the grass
grows over the radials and you never see them again. I put down 5,000
of wire under my 160m inverted "L" in this manner.

Dave K8MN

Dave Heil wrote:

Mike Coslo wrote:

I bought a Butternut vertical at a hamfest a few weeks ago. All my other
antennas have been dipoles, so this was going to be my first experience
laying radials, I did some looking around for how to's.

Laying the radials on the surface and stapling them down was forbidden
by the XYL.

I tried using a flat spade to make a small trench. PAH! this was going
to take a long time.

Lawn edgers sounded like a good way to go. Wow! the cheapest was 100
bucks! No way for something I'd use once.

Rentals? That was going to be around 60 dollars.

Finally I was at the local Hardware store, and had an inspiration or
maybe worse.

They had an electric chainsaw on sale for 40 bucks.

Bought it, took it home, and trenched and installed my radials in a
couple hours. I need a new chain, but that's all.

Anyone in the locale that is thinking of installing radials and wants
to see this weirdness and get some radials installed at the same time
just give me a shout! 8^)


Mike, I don't bury 'em at all. I lay the wire out, cut pieces of
galvanized fence wire to make "hairpins" three or four inches long and
use those to hold the radial wire down. Before you know it, the grass
grows over the radials and you never see them again. I put down 5,000
of wire under my 160m inverted "L" in this manner.


I was wanting to do that, but the wife put the nix on it. I think our
new neighbors would have gotten a kick out of it too! They seem to find
my ham antics amusing (those are the best kind of neighbors to have! But
since she puts up with most of my shennnagins, I didn't want to press
the point!

- Mike KB3EIA -

Dave Heil wrote in message ...
Mike Coslo wrote:

I bought a Butternut vertical at a hamfest a few weeks ago. All my other
antennas have been dipoles, so this was going to be my first experience
laying radials, I did some looking around for how to's.

Laying the radials on the surface and stapling them down was forbidden
by the XYL.

I tried using a flat spade to make a small trench. PAH! this was going
to take a long time.

Lawn edgers sounded like a good way to go. Wow! the cheapest was 100
bucks! No way for something I'd use once.

Rentals? That was going to be around 60 dollars.

Finally I was at the local Hardware store, and had an inspiration or
maybe worse.

They had an electric chainsaw on sale for 40 bucks.

Bought it, took it home, and trenched and installed my radials in a
couple hours. I need a new chain, but that's all.

Anyone in the locale that is thinking of installing radials and wants
to see this weirdness and get some radials installed at the same time
just give me a shout! 8^)

Mike, I don't bury 'em at all. I lay the wire out, cut pieces of
galvanized fence wire to make "hairpins" three or four inches long and
use those to hold the radial wire down. Before you know it, the grass
grows over the radials and you never see them again. I put down 5,000
of wire under my 160m inverted "L" in this manner.

Dave K8MN

I've done the same thing. Used lots of coat hangers and a pair of
dykes to make the hairpins. None of the radials ever got tangled in
the mower, and by the next growing season, none of the radials could
be seen. I didn't care if the steel coathangers rusted away in the
soil, but I used solid copper 18ga rather than copperweld so it
wouldn't rust.

The antenna was an 18vs set to 40m.

In article , Mike Coslo
writes:

They had an electric chainsaw on sale for 40 bucks.

Bought it, took it home, and trenched and installed my radials in a
couple hours. I need a new chain, but that's all.

Anyone in the locale that is thinking of installing radials and wants
to see this weirdness and get some radials installed at the same time
just give me a shout! 8^)

Sounds like an excellent idea, Mike, must have worked like a charm
on relatively soft soil (no rocks).

Innovation! Way to go even if the neighbors think it is 'weird.' :-)