Return-Path: Received: (qmail 19330 invoked from network); 5 May 2001 20:14:39 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO murphys-inbound.servers.plus.net) (212.159.14.225) by excalibur.plus.net with SMTP; 5 May 2001 20:14:39 -0000 Received: (qmail 13101 invoked from network); 5 May 2001 20:14:25 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO post.thorcom.com) (212.172.148.70) by murphys with SMTP; 5 May 2001 20:14:25 -0000 X-Priority: 3 Received: from majordom by post.thorcom.com with local (Exim 3.16 #2) id 14w8Lv-0002wZ-00 for rsgb_lf_group-outgoing@blacksheep.org; Sat, 05 May 2001 21:08:31 +0100 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal Received: from [194.200.20.13] (helo=mailhost.netscapeonline.co.uk) by post.thorcom.com with esmtp (Exim 3.16 #2) id 14w8Lu-0002wU-00 for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Sat, 05 May 2001 21:08:30 +0100 Received: from userby20.netscapeonline.co.uk ([62.125.147.145] helo=netscapeonline.co.uk) by mailhost.netscapeonline.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 3.02 #1) id 14w8FZ-0007hp-00 for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Sat, 05 May 2001 20:02:01 +0000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 Message-ID: <3AF43F68.BF3379A7@netscapeonline.co.uk> Date: Sat, 05 May 2001 18:59:04 +0100 From: "gii3kev" Organization: Netscape Online member X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.6 [en-gb]C-CCK-MCD NetscapeOnline.co.uk (Win95; I) X-Accept-Language: en-GB,en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "rsgb rsgb" Subject: LF: LF GROUND SYS Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Precedence: bulk Reply-To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org X-Listname: rsgb_lf_group Sender: G3AQC in a recent message stated that the normal radial ground system was poor on LF and I totally agree and SAID so many times away back, some are slow on the uptake !!!!!!!!!! 1. Use insulated radials as opposed to buried bare wire if you must and use as many as possible and as long as possible. Earthing with copper rods at the centre of the radial system or at the far ends seems to make little or no difference to ground losses, but it might help in some cases. 2. The other approach that I use is to run out a few insulated radials as above but CONNECT the far end of each to pig/sheep galvanised mesh wire that normally runs for acres and in some cases miles/kilometres across my and neighbouring farmers fields, my neighbours do not even know that I am connected to their fences hi. Fortunately I live in the country and can do this and it saves me a lot of trouble engineering an earth system. 3. One other idea is to stake your property boundry with electric fence posts, then get the electric wire that contains 2 strands of copper, 3 strands of stainless steel, and a nylon strand. Connect this in the way intended to all the insulated fence posts with one end going to your LF tx earth, the other end floats giving you an insulated earth system. You can customise this method to suit your particular needs, around the perimiter of your property, across it, zig zag etc. This wire comes in something like 200 - 500 metre rolls, you get a lot of wire, and could also be used for antenna wire. As said before the best dx antenna for LF is a vertical as high as possible, top loaded with a good array of wires covering as much ground as possible but not overlapping each other. Having achieved the above, and suitable propagation, and a couple of competent CW operators, a dx qso is a doddle, no need for Wolf, Bark or Wobble. 73 de Mal/G3KEV/Scarboro