The case for radials. Your vertical antenna’s best friend!
I have just found a really great article on the effect of radials on a vertical antenna! I won’t duplicate what Steve Katz (WB2WIK) has written because he says it far better than I ever could. If you have a vertical antenna or are thinking of putting one up you should read his article entitled Radials - They make verticals really work.
I read an awful lot about antennas and antenna theory but this article explains a few simple practical tests that you can conduct to demonstrate how well (or otherwise) your vertical antenna is working, and how much better it can be made to work with an appropriate radial setup (either elevated or ground level/buried).
Take a look and have a good read - you might be surprised at what your vertical antenna can do with the addition of some radials!
Yes, radials are important to verticals. Currently I can barely get away with buried radials, as for elevated radials as discussed in the article, I’d love too, but the XYL will have none of it!
Yes, another trade-off. Fewer elevated radials required…but more likely to be a hazard to those we live with.