"Seems to work". Sorry, but I don't know what that means. Everything
works to some degree or other, and unless you are able to do A vs B
testing, or can take reasonably accurate field strength measurements,
you don't know what you actually have any more than I know what you have.
I do know that what you have is the equivalent of a single wide buried
radial. The whole idea of radials is to act as a near field current
return to avoid ground losses, and your setup does that in one direction
only.
I don't mean to make this more than it is, but a Ufer ground is a low
impedance path for lightning to reduce the chance for lightning to take
other unwanted paths (such as through equipment or people), and radials
around a vertical antenna act as an RF shield (or at least alternative)
to reduce near field ground current return losses. As I said, they are
not the same thing.
Dave AB7E
On 1/16/2022 11:21 AM, jerry wrote:
Hi Dave,
Have you actually tried one? Mine seems to work. I was ready to put
out radials
also, but doesn't seem to be necessary.
- Jerry KF6VB
On 2022-01-16 10:07, David Gilbert wrote:
That post illustrates the mistake in thinking that a lightning ground
(Ufer) is the same as an RF shield (radials) to avoid ground return
losses. They are NOT the same and they perform completely different
functions.
73,
Dave AB7E
On 1/16/2022 9:35 AM, jerry wrote:
All,
I had a similar situation. The 4BTV was mounted on a pole
pounded into
my wildland hill behind the house. It had about 50 radials, and
every year
when we whacked the weeds, one or two of the radials would get
tangled in the
whacker.
In the fullness of time, we put in a swimming pool a bit down the
hill, and
the antenna site became a solar heating field for the pool. The
concrete guy
poured a 70' by 10' pad for the solar heating array.
After he built the forms, I came out with a roll of 8AWG copper
wire. I
laid 80 feet of it along the rebar. I pounded my pipe into the
earth and had
the wire come out next to it.
He poured the concrete, and I had an "Ufer" ground. I installed
a brand new
6BTV, and DX Engineering's tilt base on the pole. No radials. Works
great!
I carefully tuned it, and then installed an MFJ998RT KW autotuner at
the base of the antenna.
- Jerry KF6VB
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On 2022-01-16 10:07, David Gilbert wrote:
That post illustrates the mistake in thinking that a lightning ground
(Ufer) is the same as an RF shield (radials) to avoid ground return
losses. They are NOT the same and they perform completely different
functions.
73,
Dave AB7E
On 1/16/2022 9:35 AM, jerry wrote:
All,
I had a similar situation. The 4BTV was mounted on a pole
pounded into
my wildland hill behind the house. It had about 50 radials, and
every year
when we whacked the weeds, one or two of the radials would get
tangled in the
whacker.
In the fullness of time, we put in a swimming pool a bit down the
hill, and
the antenna site became a solar heating field for the pool. The
concrete guy
poured a 70' by 10' pad for the solar heating array.
After he built the forms, I came out with a roll of 8AWG copper
wire. I
laid 80 feet of it along the rebar. I pounded my pipe into the
earth and had
the wire come out next to it.
He poured the concrete, and I had an "Ufer" ground. I installed
a brand new
6BTV, and DX Engineering's tilt base on the pole. No radials. Works
great!
I carefully tuned it, and then installed an MFJ998RT KW autotuner at
the base of the antenna.
- Jerry KF6VB
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[email protected]
This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [email protected]
______________________________________________________________
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Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[email protected]
This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [email protected]
