How long should an antenna counterpoise be?

20-30 feet
Length of counterpoise should be a minimum of 20-30 feet but longer is better. If possible run the counterpoise above ground away from or perpendicular to the antenna wire and do not ground the counterpoise at the unun. You can also use the unun with no counterpoise or ground if your feedline is at least 25+ feet long.

How long should ground plane radials be?

Increasing the number and length of radials will increase the antenna system’s SWR but this isn’t necessarily a problem provided your rig can cope. Elevated radials should be electrically 0.25l long. Elevated radials should be at least 0.05l above ground and, for safety reasons, not less than 2m high.

What is counterpoise grounding?

Counterpoise grounding consists of conductors buried below the surface of the earth that are connected to a power-system ground point. In the case of a transmission tower, the connection point could be the tower footing or the grounded side of a lightning arrestor.

Can ground radials be too long?

So to directly answer your question: no, there is no such thing as “too long”. However, infinitely long radials work because the current in the radials approaches zero as distance from the base approaches infinity.

Do I need a counterpoise?

No, it is not needed, but it can improve the antenna system. An EFHW is simply a half-wave length of wire and a matching device, and that’s it. Counterpoises are commonly added to shunt common mode reflections when operating outside of the wire’s resonant frequency to avoid RFI issues (“RF in the shack”).

What is counterpoise earthing?

Counterpoise Earthing has four wires, that each of it has a connected to the tower at one end, and kept away from the tower but embedded below a ground level around 600 mm, to reduce the resistance. To maintaining the low resistance, the length of the wires can be increased.