Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [counterpoise]

Elevated ground plane

Horizontal wire or wires usually connected to the coax shield, just below a vertical radiating element.

17 questions
9
votes
7 answers

When and why does the size of a ground plane or radials matter?

Consider these three cases: My understanding is that when building or installing an antenna designed to operate over a ground plane (e.g. a quarter-wave vertical), the size of the ground plane does not matter (e.g. the earth, possibly coupled using…
Kevin Reid AG6YO
  • 24,195
  • 7
  • 48
  • 101
6
votes
6 answers

Does a 1/2 wavelength end-fed antenna need a good RF ground?

I was searching for DIY end-fed antenna. Some of the articles I found say that for a 1/2 wavelength end-fed I need a "small to no counterpoise" (with a lambda*0.05 m counterpoise), but some other articles say that I need "a good RF ground in close…
Hose Dias
  • 185
  • 1
  • 2
  • 8
5
votes
3 answers

does the shape of an antenna ground plane matter?

I would like to test a tranceiver setup I created before I mount it in my car. In my backyard, there's a length strip of metal; 10m in length, 10cm wide. Now I wonder if I can use that as a ground plane for an antenna. Is it important for an antenna…
Folkert van Heusden
  • 203
  • 1
  • 7
5
votes
1 answer

Counterpoise wire voltages?

One practice which seems common when operating temporary or portable QRP, SOTA, etc., is to throw a counterpoise wire out on the park lawn or shrubbery, mountaintop or hillside or parking lot ground, etc., not buried or wetted, connected to either…
hotpaw2
  • 13,116
  • 6
  • 40
  • 72
4
votes
1 answer

How Does the Performance of Elevated Radials Differ from That of Buried Radials?

NEC4.2 provides some information about this topic that may be of interest to some readers.
Richard Fry
  • 2,922
  • 6
  • 18
4
votes
0 answers

4NEC2 radials & grounds

Teaching myself 4NEC2 and have most of it under control, which is good. Regarding radials & grounds, i've been learning the "rules" NEC(2) has, summarised below. 4.1. Free space. In the simulations in free space, logically there is no…
t252
  • 697
  • 4
  • 11
3
votes
2 answers

How low can a vertical dipole be mounted?

An answer to this question suggests that raising a vertical dipole sufficiently can create the effect of a phased array. How about the opposite. How low can a vertical dipole be mounted? Can a vertical dipole be mounted with the bottom tip at or…
hotpaw2
  • 13,116
  • 6
  • 40
  • 72
3
votes
1 answer

Counterpoise from artificial ground vs base of antenna

I have an MFJ-934 tuner/artificial ground for my MFJ-1699 multi-band vertical (stuck on a balcony, so limited HF antenna options), and I'm wondering if there's any downside to the counterpoise starting in the shack and then running outside to the…
David KF4MDV
  • 486
  • 1
  • 4
  • 12
3
votes
3 answers

How thick should counterpoise wires be?

I would like to use a shortened whip antenna with a coil in it's base, e.g. OPEK HVT-400B. My transceiver maximum power is 100 W (and antenna's - 120 W). To make the antenna work I need counterpoise wires. As I understand using three 1/4 wavelength…
Aleksander Alekseev - R2AUK
  • 4,262
  • 12
  • 48
2
votes
2 answers

Air conditioner duct as counterpoise?

Many suggestions on the Internet for a "starter" HF long wire, suggest running a wire in the attic. My (South Australian) roof has a 30 degree pitch, and what little space remains contains air conditioner ducting. Not to mention the steel roof on…
Alan Campbell
  • 246
  • 1
  • 7
2
votes
2 answers

End fed long wire antenna causing issues

I use a hex beam to operate from 20 meters to 6 meters with amazing results. I wish to operate 40 meters and 80 meters also, and can only really install an end fed long wire due to my installation location. Recently I installed an end fed long wire…
Engineer999
  • 568
  • 2
  • 12
2
votes
1 answer

How Do Ground-Mounted Verticals Compare to Elevated Verticals?

Their performance differences may be less than sometimes expected.
Richard Fry
  • 2,922
  • 6
  • 18
2
votes
2 answers

Does RF go through thin corrosion better than DC?

I might have a bit of a problem with my groundplane, but I am unsure. I am using a ground screen instead of radials. The problem is the ground screen is made of galvanized metal, but I can see that a white layer of corrosion has formed. The…
Synaps3
  • 425
  • 2
  • 11
1
vote
4 answers

Why are many ground radials preferable to a single ground stake buried 1m deep?

Surely a 1m copper stake provides better ground connectivity for a vertical dipole?
Adam Palmer
  • 75
  • 3
1
vote
1 answer

Vertical Hustler - do I need any radials?

I'm planning on installing a Hustler 4-BTV vertical by the house. There's already a 12 ft. steel pole mounted in cement, so I'm going to mount it on that pole about 10 feet up (sort of small mini tower). Because of another house next door and being…
user16431
  • 11
  • 1
1
2