I think if I had a vertical with just a few Radials lying on the ground, I wouldn't use a Common Mode Choke either . . . to me, any RF on the outer of the coax would just mean it acts as another radial.
I've actually NEVER had any issues with RF in the shack . . . I used Dipoles fed with co-ax on several bands for decades, without any Chokes at the feedpoint. However, in an effort to reduce Received Noise, I DID install decent Ferrite Choke Baluns on my 160m & 80m Dipoles about 4 years ago . . . however, it made no difference to anything ! (neither the noise level or the resonant frequency of the antennas) Here's something else that many people find surprising . . . At 3 different QTHs I have had over the decades, it wasn't possible to put up a Dipole for Top Band . . . so I had an End-Fed Half Wave. At all 3 locations the shack was in an attic room on the third floor . . . so the end of the 260ft of wire came into the attic window, straight to an ATU on the windowsill. The only ground I had was the Mains Wiring around the house, plus the central-heating system (copper pipes all over). Even running an Amplifier, I never had any RF Feedback issues . . . and those End-Fed Half Waves seemed to work just as well as the Dipoles I used at other QTHs. (I do, however, suspect that with all the RF Noise rubbish around these days that the noise level would be worse than a Dipole!) 73 Roger G3YRO _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
