I am mounting a Cushcraft R8 in a space-constrained location (the only spot available in my QTH.) The base of the antenna will be about 12 feet above ground level, on a pole fastened to a tilt-over base. One or two of the 7 radial wires that surround the base of the antenna will be close to or over the property line. To avoid irritating my neighbor, I would like to permanently bend those radials (which are about 4 feet long) by 45 to 60 degrees a foot or so from their ends. Is this likely to have a significant effect on the antenna's performance? If so, are there any steps I can take to offset any degradation? Would it make sense to bend all of the radials at the same angle, to maintain a uniform spacing between them? Thanks in advance for any advice.
I've done that accidentally. bent a radial n my R7, no difference in performance that I could find. Go ahead. Good luck - the radials are spring steel and want to spring back!
Yes, it will not affect the performance, but it might change the resonant frequency. In that case you just have to retune. The radials are 1/3 of the antenna. Tom
"I suggest bending your neighbor instead." AK5B, SPCA President (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Antennas)
Modeled the situation in MMana. When bending two 4' radials at half of their length UP under 45 - the frequency at 20m goes UP 16kHz. DOWN - DOWN 21kHz. Better - one up, the other down. The resonance frequency varies very slightly down. Ideally, one under 60 up, two adjacent - down under 45.
Remove them, put somewhere safe for future use, replace them with some aluminum wire you can bend so as not to annoy the neighbor. Maybe something like that?
