Bought a Silver Rod to be the top of a vertical monopole as
price-wise it was only a fraction of the price of similar
antennae sold for the amateur marketplace (profiteering
relying on the ignorance of newHams?)

_HOWEVER_ on examining inside the lower insulating
block is a 9:1 balun to be found, with, oddly enough,
the "earth" of the balun attached to the mounting
bracket, thus giving the lie to the claim of no
radials being required?

On the basis that the balun is a solenoidal coil, a
simple solution presents itself for us, and that is to
disconnect the earthy end of the balun, thereby it
ending up as a 6-turn loading coil.