> On 2012-02-10, at 1:21 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: > >> If any of you think an insulated radial field can just plopped >> down based on a formula on just any plot of land and be >> efficient, think again. All that is necessary to be abysmally >> INefficient is for the construction ground fill underneath your >> sod to be variable in composition, or contain metallic pipes or >> buried wires or a septic system. In this case your radials are >> no longer ELECTRICALLY dense and uniform, current distribution >> becomes wacky, effectively removing radials from the system, >> and the radial system has become an unbalanced ground heater, >> and quite inferior to an elevated counterpoise. (Sound >> familiar?)
I haven't been following this entire thread, but this caught my eye just now. Sometimes you do what you can and blindly hope for the best. My radial field consists of about 100 radials (I get a different number every time I count 'em ;-) of random length to fit available space. All are insulated wire laying on the ground originally though most have long since been covered over by rotting leaves, etc. They range from 60 to 150 feet. The entire thing is laid down over what used to be (LONG ago) a fenced in field. There is a section of collapsed heavy wire grid fence running along the ground, over the radial field, passing within 30 feet of the vertical. This is at least a few hundred feet long. I have never really found both ends, as sections of it have become buried over the decades. Later, this ground was part of a junk yard! I guarantee there are parts of car and truck bodies, frames, engines or pieces thereof, transmissions and pieces thereof, buried at random throughout my radial field. It didn't take me long to conclude life is too short to bother trying to get all the random metal out of this ground! While it may not be optimum, I seem to work my share of DX. The vertical being relatively large probably helps the situation. It is a 100 foot tower with some top loading. I believe it approaches 1/4 wavelength electrically though I cannot offer convincing evidence of that. 73, Paul N1BUG _______________________________________________ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
