INSTALLATION
There are two mounting choices.
1. Ground Mount
In most areas with normal soil moisture, the 6-BTV can be ground mounted
without a radial system.
To ground mount your antenna, use a 4 foot metal pipe or mast of 1-1/4 in. O.D.
Drive it into the ground, leaving 18 in. protruding. Do not use concrete. Do not
dig a hole and bury the mast. It must be driven in.
Follow assembly steps 1-6 before mounting the bracket on the mast. The bracket
assembly should be placed on the mast so that the feed-point is 4 in. above the
ground.
After tuning the antenna, compare your A, B, C, D, and E dimensions to the initial
dimensions used to assemble the antenna. If your actual dimensions (after tuning)
are shorter than the initial dimensions, your ground plane is better than average.
If, on the other hand, your actual dimensions are longer, your ground plane is
poorer. If this is the case, radials are suggested. Consult page 9 for radial length
and configuration. The radials should be buried 2-3 inches underground.
2. Elevated Mount
Elevated mounts provide height which, in turn, will generally provide better
reception and transmission.
Radials are necessary on elevated installations. The ideal droop angle is 45
degrees. A droop angle of 10 degrees to 60 degrees is acceptable. Plan the height
of the mount to allow the best droop angle. Consult page 9 for radial information.
When installing the radials avoid running them parallel (within 5 feet) to large
masses of metal such as chain link fences, metal buildings, etc.
The 6-BTV can be mounted on a tower, a heavy duty chimney strap, wooden or
metal pole, or other suitable support structure.
CAUTION: Mounting the 6-BTV on towers, tripods, or large mast pipes,
approximately a quarter wave length, can often provide an upset to the
counterpoise created by the radial system, and act as a vertical dipole instead of
the desired ground plane. To correct this problem, the radial system must be RF
isolated from the mounting structure. This may be done by using a non-
conductive mounting mast, such as heavy wall fiberglass tube or fiberglass rod or
by sliding a split piece of PVC pipe over the metal mast. The coax or mounting
bracket should not be directly grounded.
In either mount configuration the 6-BTV must be guyed. Attach the guys above
the 20 meter trap.
