Cushcraft AP8A Radial Questions

[Brian Nordlund]

I am looking for some words of wisdom concerning radials before I put up my
AP8A. I have a large spool of wire and insulators so I was planning on making
the radials myself. From the catalog information on the available radial kit
(APR18A) they claim that the longest radial is only 31 feet. This would seem
to only cover down to 40 meters:

Question 1: Are they saying you can operate on 80 meters with 31 foot radials
or do the instructions with the radial kit tell you to add some 65 foot
radials to those provided?

Drawings in the antenna manual seem to show that the radial kit
is made up of 3 sets, made of two short single conductors and 1 longer (31
foot?) multi-conductor radial.

Question 2: Which bands are covered by the two separate conductors?

Question 3: Why couldn't the separate conductors just be part of the
multi-conductor set (to ease the installation)?

Answers can be posted (if this is the appropriate group) or you can mail me at
nord...@teleport.com

Thanks. Brian

[Paul Taenzer]

Wanted an IC 730 with mic manuals and mobile mount. Good to mint condition.
Will pay shipping.

tnx de Paul Taenzer VE6PY 403-281-6972

[Doughall]

If you're ground mounting the AP8A then the radials don't have to be a
particular length - and a good rule of thumb is that they need not be any
longer than the antenna is high. Also, lots of short radials are
generally better than a few long ones. This changes when the antenna is
elevated, and then the radials must be resonant. You didn't say whether
you were going to ground-mount the antenna or elevate it, but I'd
personally recommend ground mounting.

73, - Doug Hall, KF4KL, doug...@nando.net

[Edward A. Slimak]

Just roll out the wire, the more the better so to speak... I have the
same vertical and use two 65 foot, two 33 foot, and six 16 foot radials.
Works fine...Sparks W4KZL