[BC] Elevated radials

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

I think that a folded unipole, coupled with radials that are elevated only at their ends would be something worth experimenting with. Note that the ends of the elevated radials will still be "hot" and need to be insulated and above the level at which personnel might contact them. They will be come progressively "colder" as they near the tower.

For what it's worth, before Guido Martini, the Lyman School cottage master who taught ham-radio class, published  my "Rubber Ducky" antenna article in QST in the '50s, I had experimented with using resonant screen-door springs, not only for the active antenna element, but also for radials on 6-meters. These resonant springs became the ground-plane and they worked, that is to say the whole thing worked as a good antenna. Present day rubber ducky antennas use the box or a human for its counterpoise which is why they are so inefficient.

http://www.abominablefirebug.com/RDuckey.html

The quarter-wave elevated radials work the same way.

Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Book: http://www.AbominableFirebug.com/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Peterson" <kzerocx at rap.midco.net>

Would there be any downside to feeding the
insulated counterpoise against a grounded tower?
Maybe this would allow the grounded tower to be
the target for lightning and suffer fewer
problems.