Radials for Vertical Antennas - The Simple Truth

If you are a newcomer to ham radio and are wondering about radials for a vertical antenna, her is a simple guide.

[@N82SV]

This is by far the best description of radials I've heard. Thank you so much.

[@edtruthseeker3337]

As always, I have learned a great deal from your teaching. Thank you for providing these videos and sharing your knowledge and experience with people like myself who are seeking knowledge. I have been watching the complete library of videos since I received my General Amateur License 1 month ago. 73, Edward Cheek, KM4MMD

[@Crangaso]

Best Radio channel on KZbin

[@watersstanton]

Well thanks!

[@Chriswilliams-lx9mx]

Yes one of the best channels on the KZbin 👍

[@bassangler73]

Great channel!

[@mauricewilkes826]

But don’t forget it’s commercial advertising

[@d.jensen5153]

@@mauricewilkes826 If that is a problem for you, why not start your own channel based on pure altruism? While you're working on that, you might explain how his advice to add radials and do what you can to elevate your vertical 1/4-wave antenna is anything but a public service. You demand a great deal of others but where is your great contribution to society?

[@G6MDX-Dai]

Great suggestion about trapping the raised radials, Peter- genius!

[@mikestone9129]

Thank you so much Peter for your videos. You always explain things clearly for a newbie like myself can understand.

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks Mike. Much appewciated.

[@pandorablake654]

Thank you for posting these great and informative videos, learning lots and putting into practice now I finally have time and space for my hobby.

[@watersstanton]

Great to hear!

[@davidportch8837]

great advice Peter - thanks for sharing...

[@ronaldnugent4232]

Peter, great video on radials. I'm sold, going above ground here on the Central Coast of California. Your videos shine above the rest. I'm a year late to this video, but the timing could not be better. Thank you!

[@watersstanton]

Glad you like them!

[@alan4cars]

Great info. I have experimented with raised radials and they increase the antennas efficiency two fold. Two raised radials per band does the magic even if they are only a foot off the ground. Thank you sir for posting these videos. 73's WA6MOW

[@BennyCFD]

If they are raised they become a counterpoise and need to be tuned. If on the ground they become a radial and do not need to be tuned.

[@mohawk14616]

This video is so awesome and made everything so clear to me now. Every one of your videos is so straight forward and you just take all of the "rules" and toss them out. Just like in this radials video, how long should they be? What ever length you can use. I love it. Great job.

[@briantrask8173]

Great video, can't wait to try this!

[@smfridley2460]

Thanks for your nice reply Peter. Always enjoy hearing from you. I just recently completed building a triband quarter wave in my small backyard and it’s performing quite well after a lot of tuning. I wanted to suggest a topic for one of your future videos. Antenna tuning, especially for an elevated quarter wave multiband and all the factors that effect it such as feed point height, radiator separation distance, radial angle and length and coax length. In my own experience the most difficult thing was getting the 15, 17 and 20 meter radiators to play nice together. I’m using electrically shortened mobile antennas from Shark Antennas as the three radiators. Attaching a picture for your reference.

[@bobdeverell]

For portable use, a simple 60cm x 2m metal mesh (like some car blinds) laid on the ground couples well to the earth and works well from 10-40 m band.

[@Stonefly222]

Thanks! Like the Spitfire!

[@sanjuan9615]

Very impormative videos

[@kmb72856]

Great info! Simon, VA7BIX has a KZbin channel using your set up for 20 meters. I now have a MFJ 1979 17 foot vertical raised 6 feet along with 2 raised resonant radials in a 90 degree pattern with excellent results. I will try 180 degree radial setup. thanks so much. Take a look at his channel 73!

[@mikes6844]

Great informative vid. Bit of wire bit of coax and the world is your oyster. 👍🏻 73 de M0AZE Mike

[@watersstanton]

Yes that’s about right.

[@madcarew5168]

Since your 20m vertical with one raised radial I've lost all confusion cos it works.

[@watersstanton]

That was for simplicity and as you have found, it works. So, improve the performance by adding a second.

[@ainttakenanyshit]

Thank you for your time in explaining antenna theory. Just now getting back to radio and from your information a "standard" 5/8 wave vertical antenna that has three, somewhat short radials, this antenna would/could benefit from adding length to each radial and/or adding additional radial arms - from three to six - or more, would improve the antennas performance?? From your explanation, only TWO radials 180' apart are needed per band and would adding two additional radials in a four quadrant alignment be "better" in terms of increasing the performance of the antenna.... It is preferred to have the radial arm "angle", straight out - horizontal or angled down for best performance?? Your comments are welcome and appreciated.... Hank

[@krisraps]

I Put Them On The Ground And I Poured A LOT Of Salt Water Over The Ground So The Ground Is More Electricly Conductive

[@ainttakenanyshit]

I imagine that would help the ground plane, but, would probably be hell on any grass growing..

[@tpobrienjr]

I have a Hustler 6BTV and a horrific noise problem. I'm going to put down some on-ground radials to see what improvement I can get. I have limited open space, but will do what I can. Thanks for your advice.

[@Paul_KG]

What was the result?

[@shaneeloina8474]

Hello Peter, thanks for your many videos. I have a flat metal roof and I would like to mount a 1/4 vertical or a 4btv over it. Can the roof be used as a ground plane or would I still need to install raised radials? regards Shane

[@WiltshireMan]

I'm a fan of elevated radials having both ground mounted and elevated vertical antenna's the elevated vertical genrally out performs especially on DX when compared to the ground mounted antenna. I should add that the elevated antenna has only 4 raised counterpoises and is mono banded for 20 meters. The ground mounted antenna has over 50 radials. . In a recent QSO to VK (I live in the UK) I received an RST 339 on the ground mounted antenna then switched to the elevated and instantly was hearing better. Got a new RST of 559.....The proof of the pudding is in the eating!

[@watersstanton]

Hi there. That is great info and will spur others to try it. Thanks.

[@jagmarc]

As I remember radials become more critical when tilted downwards and that also increases radiation resistance. If stuck with a groundplane I'd prefer a 5/8 over a 1/4 but then it's horses for courses.

[@robhorsch3669]

Does a mobile whip on top of a car like the diamond CL you recommended count as "raised" with the car as the ground plane (instead of radials)? It sure seems to work well for me. Great channel, Peter. 73, N7RLV

[@watersstanton]

Generally the mass of car metal is as good as radials, so if you were to attavh radials to a mobile system there is no improvement. At least that is what I have found. 73 Peter.

[@jackK5FIT]

Radials always get lots of discussion. I just put up a DX Commander with 32 three meter radials pinned down to the ground and it works so much better than any other antenna I've ever had. I switch between it and my efhw and I can hear stations on the vertical that are silent on the efhw. Thanks for the info! Jack K5FIT

[@watersstanton]

Hi Jack. Get that vertical off the ground and you will be 3ven mote inpressed! 73 Peter

[@brandonlaragirl]

I plan on doing this. I have only ever used a half wavelengths dipole. I'm going to see what I can get out of a quarter wave vertical. I very quickly yesterday got on my roof Laid down for radials 90 degrees apart from each other. And the vertical is copper wire suspended by some string from a tree branch above. Going to mess with them or when I get home today SWR was high. Thinking about getting some conduit to connect for radios that will be sturdy and raise it from the center conductor up a pine tree 40 or 50 ft to see if it's any better than my dipole setup was.

[@MikeDent]

@@watersstantonAny reason the dxcommander won’t work raised 2 or 3 meters? My wife not happy about my proposed siting at the side of the back garden, so i have been relegated to a cramped space down the side of the garage. Only problem is the garage wall, about 7 feet vertical, would be about 3 feet from the antenna. If i raise it i might be able to get it above. Only worry is the radials .!?

[@AliReza-zx8km]

Nice............

[@MikeDent]

Thanks Peter. what do you think about a dx commander raised about 6 feet? Sloping radials etc?

[@watersstanton]

You will get an improvement. But the downside is that you need twoonr or two resonant quarter wave radials per band. These radials will also benefit other bands but the big improvement is on the bands where there are at least one resonant radial.

[@georgebarnes8163]

I just bury a few sheets of cooking foil under the ground, works at treat and costs next to nothing.

[@indridcold8433]

I set up a radio station for someone. That had an old chain link fence she was going to throw out. I set up a crude looking asterisk made of 1.25 meter tall chain link fence with the antenna in the middle, on top of a mast made of the horizontal pole of the fence. She was not very happy with the look of it. But I told her that after a few months of growth and mowing, it would disappear. That year it was extra rainy. It actually disappeared in about a month. She later painted the ugly, grey fence post holding up the antenna in high gloss black and the result was very aesthetically pleasing. Though, I could not do on the air tests because I am not licensed, she told me she got glowing RST reports and her receive was better than she had ever had it in her life. If I ever get licensed, I might redo the chain link fence abomination for myself. It cost her nothing because it was all salvaged parts.

[@jorgezuni2818]

Does material like brass a great for Radials . Or it doesn’t matter ?

[@cfsyoutube5799]

I have a Diamond CP6S (purchased from W&S :-) ) on top of a 20' scaffolding pole mast. It seems to work well on everything except 80m (very narrow resonance band on 80). Is only having a single resonant/trapped radial for each band a compromise?

[@Sidmi5utc]

I've the same antenna. It says in the product description that resonance is very narrow on 80m so I knew I had to choose the part of the band where I wanted it to be most efficient. Any multiband antenna is a compromise.

[@watersstanton]

Adding second radials is not really practical although you might want to try adding an extra full size wire radial for say 20m and see how it works. If it improves performance you might want to add other wire radials for some of the other bands.

[@WessexWeather]

Would you suggest adding radials to a Diamond BB7V?

[@watersstanton]

No that antenna is a different design and radials will not improve things much. 73 Peter

[@markdeweese9288]

Thanks i use a mc1 supper antenna, what is your opinion oh it

[@watersstanton]

Sorry I am not familiar with that model.

[@CesarIralaE]

Hi, very interesting your video. Thanks! I have a Butternet HF6V, and I have a questión: I have not enough room for the radials, but the roof of my house is made of metal sheet. What if instead of use buried wires as radials, I conect the radials to my roof..? Thanks and 73, ZP5 HBI

[@watersstanton]

Yes that will work.

[@FlurinKoenz]

what about using a metal plate as "radials" like e.g. a metal roof? thanks for input!

[@watersstanton]

Yes will work well provided the panels are electrically connected.

[@MrRljohnson77]

would a metal roof do the trick?

[@lguyot2]

If we elevate the antenna 3 m on a post how do we elevate the ground radials? What’s the best method to elevate ground radials? I currently have 42 ground radials at 3 m length each and am stumped on how best to elevate each of them. Thanks for your ideas.

[@dannybleachflower8628]

You only need 2 tuned radials at 180 degrees from each other if they are elevated.

[@watersstanton]

Simply attach radials at the 3m point and anchor the end just above ground level.

[@samhanie]

With all the discussions about radials, groundplanes, and counterposes, and the associated pain and frustration. I am surprised that there is very little discussion about the WRC Otophone mount. (kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWmQp4Zplq-Hirc). I bought one a couple of years ago and I love it. It allows configuration of 2 antennas as "V" antenna with NO RADIALS. I use with 2 - WRC TIA, 2 - 17' Whips, or 2 Hamsticks on same band elevated to 1.5 meters. QSOs from GA to Eastern Europe, Australia, and Japan. Big advantage - NO RADIALS. Big disadvantage. - COST ($$$) it requires 2 antennas plus mount and stand. Just my thoughts - AC4OW. What is you experience? Opinion? Keep the good information flowing.............