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Simple is best Brian! Hopefully this will encourage others to try...

Why not just tie a knot in the radials and the radiating element wire coming out of the box? It would then require only one hole per wire to be drilled and would provide the benefits of simplified routing and a box that would be easier to make weatherproof. The only thing I can think could be a problem with this method is the introduction of a small, parasitic induction created by the loop in the knotted wire, but at HF frequencies and with such a small knot, I can’t imagine that any such induction would be consequential.

Thanks from Adelaide

Great video. The low angle take off of a ground plane antenna will often compete with a Yagi beam. I worked Australia from here in Florida with only five watts SSB using a simple ground plane hung from a fifty foot pine tree. I have also worked hundreds of stations from all over the world using one hundred watts. It is the very low takeoff angle from a ground plane that makes the difference with DX. Going one step up, phase two ground plane antennas with a switched piece of coax to be able to select a direction and add some gain.All the very best from Florida, USA. I will look for you on the bands, Dave, N2SN.

Great video. I have made a similar vertical antenna made from a 24 foot painter’s extension pole that is resonant on 20m. The first section is fiberglass and about 2.5 m long. The 2 extension sections are aluminum and combined are about 15.5 feet. I use four 5 meter radials that slope from 6 foot to ground level. SWR is good and I have made contacts to all Europe and as far south as southern Chile from here in the SE USA. Also it is a very quiet antenna. I can also feed it with a 64:1 Unun and use it for 15 and 10 meters successfully. Thanks for the excellent video. KQ4VGE.

Superb Brian. Working well mate 👍 73 Nigel G4BSW

Made something similar for field day with a fiberglass fishing pole. A GP for 20mtrs with 4 radials at 45 degrees angle that also served to keep the rod upright. Worked great!

Hi Brian, well done. That should encourage many to give this simple antenna to try. 73 Peter.

Fantastic antenna and signal Brian! 20 m was very noisy on Friday (think geomagnetic storm going on), and I was running just 5 W as usual, and into an Ampro 20 whip on a magmount while parked up at Devils Dyke, but great QSO again. Thank you so much. 73 es 77 M3KXZ

Hi Brian, In 1955 as a child in Sumner 100 yards from the beach with a crystal set with a beadspring aerial aerial and headphones under the pillow so Mum thought I was asleep, I listened to many a nightime US crime serials from 3ZB. But, please tell me if you think your signals to the UK travel the south longpath or the north route. The reason I ask is that many years ago I read that Invercargal was a great listening area for WW2 German U boat Atlantic transmissions. Your aerials are very interesting. Sure, with a mobile phone or 500 W on a beam - well that's no challenge - but QRP on a thoughtful wire and/radials is a learning and pioneering endeavour. Less is more. 🙋

Hi brian just watched that one well the 17mtr vertical certainly doing the biz too as for paul i can hear him on every band 20 over usually got a dx ers hot-spot were he is and of course his 4 ele doing the biz .73 pal maybe we can do it 17 too😉

Another great watch video brian keep them coming..i am going to put a vertical up now to compare against the hexbeam next time we meet up i will do a test may be a few weeks before i get round to it .all the best . Ps your old town still looks the same ( tom jones ) comes to mind lol

Grand job - thank you Brian. Like others I came to you via Peter, G3OJV. I used MMANA-GAL to model the simple quarter-wave vertical with two elevated quarter-wave radials. To be clear, I use modelling for coarse steering and to gain insight. It may be that your recent rainy spell has been your friend. Increasing ground conductivity lowers the angle of maximum radiation (which becomes zero over a conducting plane) and increases gain by up to a few dB (but less than 1 S-point). That noted, I have no explanation for why your simple vertical out-performed your array. Peter gets better results from a horizontal wire at about 7.5 metres up and I can't do any better than share his speculation that something about ZL favours vertically polarised waves. There's just so much not to understand, which is why your cut and try approach takes a lot of beating! 73 Ian G4COL

Morning brian got quite a pleasant surprise when you came back to my cq this morning i was beaming over Europe so you were on the side of my antenna lol its certainly working very well ..ps a couple of years ago i did a lot of experiments with a vertical set up like yours .trying all radials then just one at a time made no difference east south West north pointing individual radial or all of them still got exactly the same hits on reverse beacon tests 😉.73 john m0asn

Hello Brian , I spoke to a G3 a while back he's qrp 10w cw, all of antennas are vertical and 6.6 ft of the floor including radials. It all they used verticals back in the 1950's when he qualifed, amazing, I also follow Peter and it's all good info. I'M A GW4 live in a dip land wise but experiments with antennas is great fun

Make MORE Vids please🎉🎉 73s 9V1KM KK7QGL SINGAPORE

Once in awhile someone does some orignal movements...nit oft hrt?

I wish

Great Brian. Whats in the black box which coax is connected to ?

Hi Brian, thanks for the video. May you explain how the coil is made? Best 73 de Franco, iw2hus

Just wondering how close you are from the sea and how damp the soil is. Regards.

Great video, Brian. I use a 5 m vertical telescopic whip on a 1.2 m tripod, and one elevated 5 m radial for POTA. Worked mostly 20m, but tune up to 6m, with my Xiegu X6100. I'm going to do a comparative test with two radials soon. I may take you up on the offer of a sked some day. 73 from Norway, Tom LB8X, mostly portable.

12meter XHD Spiderbeam is showing up today. Think I need to experiment 😎

Very nicely done Brian! I'm going to be stringing a couple of elevated vertical wires up in one of my trees later on and leaving them. Then to operate all I'll need to do is attach the radials. I need covert here so the wires will be close to the trunk and out of sight! Best wishes, M3KXZ

Used the same 20m antenna 2 years ago for the CQWW SSB, worked all continents using my FT-817 with 5 Watt.

Hallo Brian, compliments, very interesting video! Only a question: were both antenna at ground level and 16 radials on the ground? Thanks and 73 de iw2hus, Franco

Thanks for the share

So the higher bands are open then!

Excellent!

It was invented by W8JK around WW2 and is called a ground plane antenna. W8JK only specified two radials but other people wrongly thought it needed four to provide omni directional coverage. .

Excellent Brian, get one up for 10m too. Roly worked MM0ZBH who local to me on CW yesterday.

1/4 wave with raised radials so simple but so effective. 73 Steve ZL1YX

Nice one Brian. Great demonstration of elevated radials. 73 Peter.

Great work Brian …. Is next a 3 element ELEVATED GP ? 😅 looking forward to our next qso Thanks Niels OZ1CGQ

Strong sigs on 20m today Brian and thanks for helping me with power tests....was surprised to make it you (just...) with 5w - Drew

Brian, it absolutely makes my day better when it starts with a TH-cam notification saying you've uploaded a new video! Excellent job with your elevated vertical for 17 m! Best wishes, M3KXZ

Check out M3KXZ

Hi Brian, lots of new viewers. Many of us want to join in the fun. Get some, wire, coa and wire cutters.

Excellent in-depth experiment with lots of interesting data to take away! There is a saying that one elevated radial is worth of 3 ground radials, it seems true in your case! CU on the bands Brian! 73! Linas LY2H

Ism doing the same thing - with a twist. Vertical elements are two 17ft telescopic whips raised about 2.5 meters above ground on studio light tripods Radials are elevated , sloping down, terminatimg 1 meter above ground on plastic tent poles. Two radials on each elements and pointing about 45 degrees apart towards front MMANA saus about 8 db front/back ratio - practical tests not done yet due to band conditions on 14m This setup is really a combo of two of your videos

Excellent presentation, have fun with your DXing...W6QR

Brian- Excellent experiment 👍 Was it a quarter or half wave radiator?

Brilliant, OM. And encouraging. "Have fun." "Experiment!" "See what works from your location..." OK -- I will. Stef DU3/NN3M

New subscriber, thanks to Watersstanton referral. It looks like your masts are made from black water pipe. If so, how rigid are they? Lots of information in the video. Thank you for it. Brian VE3GUE

Subscribed, very informative 👍

On portable I haver been using this with only two radials. Results were not fantastic I guess will add more two. Good video

Mate, how.muxh more could you get with a Raised paracitic reflector with radials behind that antenna. Out of interested have you tried coupling your radials between the driven antenna and the paracitic reflector?

First DX nearly 40 years ago as a U.S. novice was Rochester, NY to Buenos Aires, Argentina using an elevated ¼-wave with four elevated radials on 10 meters. These antennas can be DX gorillas and cost little to erect.

Thanks for the great presentation and advice. I've been running a 40 to 10 end fed for a while, and after seeing what you've achieved with so little, I've decided to try your suggested approach. Thanks very much Brian, I look forward to doing as you have done, make comparisons and having fun working DX. John, VK3EMI.

What is the base/end fed you are using for element?