Moving along with the Hustler 4BTV install.


Now I realize in my last post regarding the new Hustler 4BTV installation I said my next step was to dig the coax trench from the house to the base of the antenna BUT rainy days have taken over here. Oh for those of you who read this blog on amateurradio.com site click this link to read the first instalment regarding the new antenna. I have changed my blog address and my last post to the amateurradio.com site did not fully make it.

Now where was I....today I decided to start cutting radial wires. I purchased 150m (500 feet) of 14 gauge stranded green wire and the radial production line began. I am using ring terminals for 1/4-20 bolts and I choose to purchase 10 gauge terminals as I can solder 2 14 gauge radial wires to them. My property is small and I have certain areas where the radials can be 25 feet and other spots only 4 feet. I am putting out as many as 500 feet will allow me and if I need more then I will purchase another roll of wire.......but that stuff is not cheap!! 

I have been doing some reading on the internet regarding the radial length. The consensus seems to be if your vertical is ground-mounted (mine is) and the radials are just below the ground (mine will be) then length theory  is..make them as long as you can but being in the ground and not raised radials certain lengths are not important.

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

4 Responses to “Moving along with the Hustler 4BTV install.”

  • Mike KB5UKT:

    Mike VE9KK,
    I have had my 5BTV up for about 15 years now. It has been in two different locations (Texas & Kansas) so far. In Texas I put in a ground wire kit which had 2 80m, 2 40m, 2 20m, 2 15m, and 2 10m pairs of wires. I had ran the 5BTV for several years and it had preformed great as my only HF antenna. After the ground wire kit I found the antenna received about 1 S unit less noise. It continued to work great. I moved to Kansas in 2014 where I put up the 5BTV again and no ground kit. I mounted it on a 5 foot T post driven in the ground until only 6 inches was sticking up. It seems to be working fine when I use it. I have however put up a 80m dipole which I use through a LDG AT-1000 pro II auto tuner with my new to me AL80 amp. So not much use of the 5BTV because of the amp. It has worked good without the ground kit so far. I did want to tell you the easy way to install the ground wires. Use a edger but put the blade in backwards (makes bigger trench). Requirements are to do this when the ground is soft after a big rain. I used a paint stick to poke the wire down into the trench the edger made. Good luck with your install!

    Mike
    KB5UKT

  • Mike VE9KK:

    Good afternoon Mike and very nice to hear from you, it’s encouraging to hear the success you have had with your 5BTV. As for the ground radials at this end, there is no edger and it’s going to have to be sweat and labour. I have a small lot so it’s not going to be a really big deal but I will take my time. I am looking forward to the difference between my endfed and the 4BTV. One thing for sure that will be great I will be able not to have to use my tuner on every band. With the Endfed I have to run the tuner on each band. With the 4BTV I can use my second receiver on the 7610 and monitor other bands.
    Thanks for the info Mike and have a great week.
    73,
    Mike
    VE9KK

  • Gordon VE7OW:

    Hi Mike
    I put up a similar HyGain DX-88 that served me well for 13 years (and still does!). I put down 32 radials and a PVC conduit for feed line before our yard was landscaped. The antenna is not guyed. The only complaint is on receive it is a “real noise catcher” in a suburban neighbourhood (an inherent vertical characteristic). My solution to that is an external noise canceler, an MFJ-1026 that works well most of the time.

    My antenna was assembled with Ox-Gard aluminum conductor paste but after 13 years of shaking in the wind occasional intermittents occurred. I solved that problem by bridging the slip joints with flexible Al strips.

    The antenna works well and I often run full legal power. It is a good alternative on a small city lot, but I do miss the tribander and tower that I had at the old house.

    Regards
    Gordon
    VE7OW

  • Mike VE9KK:

    Good evening Gordon, I am very pleased with the antenna and it’s the first vertical I have used. As for it being noisy, I live in a rural area and I a not having any issues with noise. I have 32 radials as well and I was thinking about adding more but I am going to see how this amount works for me. I have the MFJ 1026 where I used to live there were noise issues and that device worked great!
    73,
    Mike
    VE9KK

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