Creating Durable Systems – Flagpole Vertical Antenna/Radials

Creating Durable Systems within the K9ZW Main QTH Shack is a series started with:  https://wp.me/p2XN8-1Sc

The Flagpole Vertical Antenna/Radials system can be broken down further into feedline, radial system, isolator & balun and the antenna itself. Additionally there is the halyard (rope to most of us) and the flags. We fly a US Flag top, and a true-English flag (St George’s flag) beneath. The English flag is tribute to the XYL and she says to ignore the soccer hooligans who have been using this flag, as the English do not consent to its misappropriation!

And my system is built of:

https://zerofive-antennas.com/ 30ft Commercial with tilt-over base
https://www.colonialflag.com/ 6×4 USA polyester sewn flag. 3-1/4 Chrome Snap Swivels and Small gray Snap Hook Covers
https://www.flyingcolours.org/ 5×3 St George’s Cross, Sewn with d-rings and antifray netting (from England)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KU6GIHW/ Martins Flagpole Company (via Amazon) 5/16in by 80ft Flag Pole Rope

Radials are common THHN 12 wire, 31 ft long, gathered to a 1/2in copper pipe ring.

In terms of Redundancy/Backup/Failure Options straight forward replacement would be required.

NOTE:  The Island QTH has the same setup.  The two vary only in the number of radials (32 at Home QTH and 10 at Island QTH).

73

Steve
K9ZW

Second ZeroFive Flagpole Antenna Commissioned

My Washington Island QTH’s ZeroFive Flagpole antenna is ON THE AIR!  Yeah!!

This has been a silly long project, with the antenna waiting for a year to be put up, then two seasons where the conduit wasn’t getting installed, the lost “virus season” and finally this season being put on the air.

Hitting bedrock and the flagpole base:

https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2018/07/16/feeling-out-antennas-for-k9zw-island-qth-part-3/

Putting in the radials: https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2021/07/18/k9zw-north-radials-for-the-flagpole-antenna/

Correcting the antenna end of the conduits: https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2021/08/09/working-outside-when-the-sunshines-island-conduits/

The conduit has been a troublesome part with the route being different than originally sketched, the electrician involved being taken away due to an extended family emergency, and my foot dragging to boot.

Conduit Ends as Left for My Work

Hmm, how to figure out where to run them inside?

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

Further work on the ZeroFive Flagpole Antenna

Here is the setup:

• ZeroFive 30ft extra heavy duty flagpole vertical antenna
• 38 #14 solid direct burial grade radials 30 ft long, soldered to the radial ring.
• 3/8 inch copper tube radial ring, bonded to the antenna with a #14 solid wire
• Array Solutions AS-302N 3K lightning protection/static dissipation
• one eight foot ground rod (you can see the feed is protected in a flexible conduit)
• 275 ft of Hardline to the shack
• 2 ft of Belden 9713F final whip from antenna to Array Solutions device
• 12 ft of Belden 9713F final whip to an internal Flex-6700 antenna tuner in the shack

I’m running 30m digital as I type the Flagpole Vertical.  In use for 30m the ATU bypasses as the match is 1.05:1 which with the long feedline disappears to a very level coupling.

Business end of the antenna

ZeroFive Flagpole first Antenna Analyzer Scans

Remember this is a typical vertical pressed into service as a real flagpole.

I had hoped for better 80m and improved 40m, but the antenna scans as very usable 60-10m, requiring light coupling on some bands and no coupling on others.

FiveZero Flagpole Resonance

Radials for the home QTH Flag Pole Vertical

Installing vertical antenna radials is a chore.  Period.

In my Zero-Five Flagpole Vertical Antenna the designer suggestion is radials nominally the same length as the pole with at least 30 radials if possible.

Vertical with 30 radials (taken from a text book)

They also note that at that point more radials do not seem effective or worth the efforts & costs, with little improvement even if you double the number of radials.

So I’ve settled on installing 36 radials, which makes them an easy 10 degree spacing, with a nominal length of 32 feet each.  This will put down roughly 1152 lineal feet of radials of which 6 radials or 192 lineal feet are extras above the suggestion.