Hi John,

John W8CCW wrote:

The red North Carolina clay varies widely with the seasons, I hope to
be ready when the ground softens up to where I can bury the radials.
The current plan is to build a mechanism that will allow me to do the
job from the seat of my tractor. I would prefer to not use fence
staples because I expect they would forever plague me in my tractor
tires.

I've never had a problem with the large garden staples getting into
tractor tires. If you are really concerned, you could probably get
away with one staple at the very end of each radial and then remove it
after the thatch grows over the radial. I would never go to the
trouble of buring radials myself. I now have about 130 ranging in
length from 70' to 150' under my 180' tower for my 160 system. If you
still want to bury your radials here's a neat idea by SM2CEW:

http://www.sm2cew.com/plow.htm

The question:
I seem to be the only one inclined to use electric fence wire for
radials. I know from experience that the galvanized steel 17 ga will
last in excess of 10 years. I have found the Aluminum to be lacking in
strength when I use it for antenna experiments. Both are available
for less than $45 per mile.

I put down about 10 rolls of welded galvanized mesh fencing (3-4' width
by about 50-100') under my tower in 1997. Those rolls completely
rusted several years ago and I disconnected them recently. My soil is
mostly red clay (QTH is NC also) with some sandy loam areas. In my
case the mesh was probably overkill anyway since my radial field alone
is sufficient close to the tower. I have used galvanized wire for
Beverages and it lasts forever when suspended in air...but that was not
my experience with it on the ground. Aluminum is also not a good
choice because of interaction with acid in the soil. Copper is best
but the prices have now skyrocketed so much I can understand why you
are looking for other alternatives.

Good luck with your project!

73, Bill W4ZV