Rhonda,
I had no idea they had a 20' pole, now I have one on order too.? I have a 14' pole from Cabela's that I've been using.? I was always kind of annoyed that it's just under 1/4 wavelength on 20 meters.? This pole 20' looks perfect because you can get some elevation on the radials.?
As to your question, I always run the radials at an angle down to the ground, this is only because I don't want to figure out a way to make them horizontal/perpendicular to the base of the vertical.? On my 31' pole, that means I'd need 15' poles just to hold the end of the radials up.? Running them at an angle also gives you the benefit of being able to use the radials as guys to hold the mast up.? I usually solder fishing swivels on the end of each radial and then when it's installed I run a piece of string from the swivel to a nail I stomp in the ground.
Nick
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On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:37 PM, Eric
<gliderboy1955@...> wrote:
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Oh you'll get lots of opinioms on this and none will match. ?:-)?
If you cant get the radials up 1/4 wave then put them on the ground. Velocity factor for ground radials is around 50% and length is not critical. Length is important for elevated radials. ?More radials are better for ground radials but 4 will work. I went from 6 to 66 radials on my vertical last summer to good effect. ?The feed impedance of a 1/4 wave vertical is not 50 ohms, so you'll have to compensate.
I strongly recommend you read ON4UN's Low Band DXing, chapter 7 I think is on verticals and is the most exhaustive discussion I know of. ?There is lots of bad information on verticals out there, some of it from people who mfg them. Imho.?
Bottom line though is use it and have fun!
73
Eric WD6DBM
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Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 15, 2010, at 11:38 AM, Rhona Mahony <
rmahony@...> wrote:
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I am waiting for UPS to deliver my 20-foot Shakespeare collapsible fiberglass fishing pole.
.com/gp/product/B000FFQOSW/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
I have cut five pieces of wire about 16 feet, 4.5 inches long, hoping to have a 20M vertical with four radials. Will it be better if I suspend the radials parallel to the ground, about 3 feet above it, rather than descending close to the ground? I have seen tall, plastic garden stakes at the nursery that could hold the verticals parallel to the ground.
Thanks for your practical tips!
~~Rhona, K6RHO
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Rhona Mahony
rmahony@...
Nick Garner