ground plane kit

[mlanejr]

I have just set a new base antenna. It is a solarcon A99 with ground plane kit. It is on a 18" mast which puts me about 27' to the top of antenna. There is a short run of RG8X of 25' to the radio. The antenna is grounded from the mounting clamps at the base of the antenna and 8 gage solid copper wire attached to a ground rod 4' deep. This is set next to my house and antenna tip is well above the surrounding roof tops. SWR is 1.1 thru-out the channels. The ground plane linears are only 4' above my roof. I can receive well, but can't seem to get out. Question, could the short distance from roof to the radials be effecting my transmitting?

[295 antenna]

First question . Does your roof have metal? My experience has been Depending what is around you definitely can make you directional . Like you said you have a good SWR. Do you have a field strength meter ? You could check to see if you signal is good

[mlanejr]

The roof is a standard composition shingle. No metal. The radio has the standard signal/transmit meter. It shows 4+ watts when the mic is keyed. This is also the case when the SWR meter is plumed in. I plan on setting up a mobile unit in my truck today. I will try to communicate between the two. Hopefully, this will give me something to work with. I will report back with the results.

Thanks for the response. Finding local help is turning out to be a challenge.

[295 antenna]

A signal strength meter is a hand held device that shows the strength of the RF pattern around the antenna. That being said .Standard practice the antenna should be at least 5 feet away from the roof line. lol now ill answer your question "yes" the ground planes proximity to the roof can affect your transmission.

[TNT1450]

Maybe the reason you're not being heard is because your antenna is only 18 inches above ground:

It is on a 18" mast

LOL, couldn't resist.

[MDYoungblood]

I have just set a new base antenna. It is a solarcon A99 with ground plane kit. It is on a 18" mast which puts me about 27' to the top of antenna. There is a short run of RG8X of 25' to the radio. The antenna is grounded from the mounting clamps at the base of the antenna and 8 gage solid copper wire attached to a ground rod 4' deep. This is set next to my house and antenna tip is well above the surrounding roof tops. SWR is 1.1 thru-out the channels. The ground plane linears are only 4' above my roof. I can receive well, but can't seem to get out. Question, could the short distance from roof to the radials be effecting my transmitting?

Some of your calculations aren't quite right, first a A99 is only 18ft in length, so with a 18" mast that is 19' 6", what is added to this to get 27'?
How and what is it mounted on?
What do you mean by the "antenna tip" is above surrounding roofs"?
Are you using the radio's SWR meter to measure the SWR? Do you have an external SWR meter and what type?
I don't see a mention of the radio you are using.
I never thought the GP radial kit for that antenna was worth it, the antenna is basically a dipole inside a fiberglass tube so try without it, just remove the radials for now and if the signal improves then remove the bracket. Your ground sounds good but I would suggest a longer rod, you can check local electrical code for that spec, and more than one never hurts.

3's

Greg

[mlanejr]

The a99 is mounted with the pole clamps that came with it on a 1 1/2" diameter steel pole that is 18' tall. Yes, the tip of the antenna is just under 27'. I have a Astatic PDC1 SWR/Power meter. The radio is a R/S TRC-495. I plan on adding 6' of mast height. Hard to add any more with out adding guy wires to support. When I take the antenna down, I will remove the G/P kit and change the coax to RG213. Like I said before, just getting started and on a budget. I realize that my radio may be sub-par. It was found locally and was affordable.

Thanks,
1mlanejr