Quote:
"which by the way are seldom if ever a problem in properly installed ground mounted arrays."
This particular installation is not ground mounted. The base of the antenna is going to be 20 feet off the ground.
Quote:
"If you're talking about a groundplane antenna, where the radials take the place of earth ground, there's really no point in doing that isolation thingy. The mast/support would only be adding to the ground, which ought'a be a good thing."
That's just it! I keep being fed contradictory information. I keep seeing this same thing being stated, over and over: That it is "NOT a good thing" to have your mast ADDING to the ground. I've seen it stated over and over, that if you do not "isolate the antenna from the mast", then you distort the pattern of the antenna, and introduce more "ground loss".
I've seen it time, and time again. People saying "keep an elevated vertical isolated from the ground". "Do not ground the radials".
So which is correct?
Is it a "good thing" to have your mast act as another "radial", or is it better to PREVENT continuity between the antenna base (on an ELEVATED antenna) and the ground? And if it is better to ISOLATE the antenna radials from ground, HOW does one do this? Electrical tape wrapped around the mast top? And if so, then how does one ground this antenna against lightning?
This question (and the answer I received) is why I am STILL confused about this. I'd really like to put this question to rest in my mind, because I still don't know which is correct, and HOW to isolate the antenna from ground (if that is the way to go).
Anyone??
