ANTENNA COUNTERPOISE | The importance of having one

[@N1IA-4]

Great video to demonstrate the truth of the matter. In experimenting with radials, I found that a 17' vertical mast only requires a 17' counterpoise radial to work well. The idea that we need X number of radials isn't true in many cases. It depends. There is no magic formula, but a quarter wavelength of the lowest frequency is a good guide.

[@IZ0MTW]

Thanks for your comment.
I believe that if the quarter wave whip is sitting on the ground it’s better to have a good system of counterpoises but if the antenna is elevated then one radial is already enough for balancing the currents and to have an overall half wave system, just like a dipole. I think I prefer to have the antenna elevated, I believe less lossy.
73s, Diego

[@ptronix]

You clearly showed that the counterpoise is as important as the antenna. I've heard a lot of people say they're using an earth stake with a long wire, which is virtually useless unless you've got really good earth conductivity, like living near a salt marsh. Best wishes nick

[@IZ0MTW]

Thanks for watching Nick. Got some new toys lately.. new videos soon. Even though I’ll be traveling to Portugal next week.
Bye

[@axi6ne8us]

What type of cable and length did you use for the counterpoise? Also is there a way to auto-tune this antenna for the IC-705? .. .. .. Cheers!

[@ollisaarikko]

So where do you connect the counterpoise in radio?

[@BBaldwin]

I’m assuming it’s connected to the ground terminal.