K9ZW North – Radials for the Flagpole Antenna

With Tom K0TTC running his tractor with pipe burying attachment and Dale N6JSX helping measure, the buried radials for my Washington Island Zero-Five Flagpole Vertical antenna went in this weekend.

Unlike the home QTH the radial count is lower, as the install work was more involved, the heat was relentless and at he lowest number I was willing to initially install I decided to join N6JSX who smartly had retreated from the sun & heat.

Radials heading out into the juniper bushes

The lawn swales and rises for drainage, which vexed the tractor

The easy part of the lawn – the underground conduit is slightly to the right (2 ft or so)

The following day I tidied things up, hand buried two spots where the tractor couldn’t follow the ground contour and got the booby-trap of tied ends rolled up.

The rats nest of antenna-ends of the radials tied off during installation

Doesn’t look like that much work, but with the rocky soil, contours, heat, sun and lack of breeze it was enough.

73

Steve
K9ZW