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The wire radials should placed as symmetrically as possible
straight from the feedpoint around the vertical antenna and spaced
evenly, regardless of how many radials are used. Do not cross or
bunch any radial wires as this nullifies their effectiveness. If you
have limited space, put in as many straight radials as you can. The
radials must be connected to the shield of your feedline. The
DXE-RADP-3
Stainless Steel Radial Plate is an ideal optional
item which provides an excellent system for attaching radial wires
to your vertical antenna system feedpoint.
Radial wires can be laid on the roots of the grass using
biodegradable
DXE-STPL
Radial Wire Anchor Pins to hold them
down. Using enough staples will ensure the wires will not be snagged by mowers, people, or
animals. Grass will quickly overgrow the radials and they will be virtually impossible to see or
cause trouble. An article describing this process is available the DX Engineering website
www.dxengineering.com
in the
Tech Info
section. Radials can also be buried just under the surface
by using a power edger to make a slit in the soil.
Mounting Pipe
Use a customer supplied thick-walled galvanized steel mounting pipe
at
least
4 feet long. This will allow approximately 2 feet or more to be
below ground and approximately 2 feet above ground. A thick-walled
steel pipe 1-3/4" OD to 2" OD
maximum
is recommended with a
minimum thickness of 1/8" (1/4" preferred) should be used. The
standard 1-1/2" galvanized water pipe (with a 1.9" OD) is just fine for
this application and can usually be found at your local home building
supply store. For permanent mounting, use a post-hole digger to make
the hole deep enough to accommodate 2 feet of pipe and a couple inches
of gravel at the bottom for drainage. Set the pipe on the gravel, use the
pre-mix concrete to fill around the pipe, adding water and mixing as you
fill or mix the concrete first, then pour in the hole. Fill the hole until the
concrete is level with the ground around it. Use a level as you fill the
hole to be sure the pipe is straight. Allow to set overnight. Your location,
landscape and ground conditions may require different mounting
solutions in order to have the steel mounting pipe and the vertical
antenna in a secure position. Your ground/soil/rocky conditions may
require additional mounting pipe length or method of securing.
Note: Galvanized steel, rather than aluminum, is much more suitable for mounting in concrete.
Aluminum will quickly corrode due to incompatibility with the materials used to make
concrete.
