[WVDXA] Question of the day

[W8DL at aol.com]

Greg
 
Two questions.
 
(1) first how many and how log should the radials be ? First no matter the  
length the more the better. That was easy. Second Ideally the radials should be 
 about 10 percent longer than a quarter wave ( approx 70 feet for an 80  
meter vertical. ) NOTE: if you don't have room for 70 ft radials it is better to  
install lots of shorter ones. I have two 65 ft verticals I use on 80 and 40  
meters. Each vertical has 64 radials that are 70 feet long.
I use matching networks at the base of each vertical and feed them as 1/4  
wave verticals on 80 meters and 1/2 wave verticals on 40 meters
 
(2) Which vertical will work best on 160 ? since both the 65 ft and 53  ft 
vertical are both much shorted than the size of a full quarter wave on  160 
meters the answer as to which will be the most effective on 160 meters  is 
dependent upon HOW they are loaded ( Top , Mid, or Base ). All other things  being 
equal If done properly the top loaded vertical will be more effective. So  if 
the 53 foot vert is a top loaded design it would probably be more effective  
than a 65 foot vert with base loading. There are many other things that  affect 
the losses in an antenna, such as the "Q" of the loading  system. So just to 
choose from the length alone is not a good plan,.  You must know all the other 
factors.
 
The above assumes ground mounted verticals with the radials  either on the 
ground surface or buried a few inches
 
I hope this helps
 
73's  Don W8DL
 
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