Ground Trailing Wire (aka Rat Tail)

[WROA675]

Hey now, this probably won't be too exciting for a lot of you, but I thought it was share-worthy, especially for us Noobies. Plus, I need to get more points towards my next badge..."badges, badges, we don't need no stinking badges"(gratuitous movie line). 

So after watching a couple GMRS radio videos, I saw a some of things on expanding the range for HTs. The one thing that caught my eye was the Rat Tail, so I tried it on my Radioddity GM30. As some of of you know, I live in a canyon with very limited reception, so any addition mods are helpful. 

I cut a nine inch piece of wire and first I connected it to the metal beltclip bracket, not sure if that made a difference. Next I unscrew the antenna (NA-771G) halfway, wrapped the wire around the post and screwed the antenna back down...then waited. It wasn't too much longer that I noticed it was picking up chatter. Some clearer than others, but definitely better reception than before. 

Then came the the golden nugget. I tried my nearest repeater and was able to hear the wild (sometime heated) conversations, last night (those here that were listening too know what I mean ). I doubled checked via text with my GMRS mentor that I was actually hearing the repeater and not so random local traffic, and yep, confirmed and successful ground trailing wire experiment. Unfortunately, with the low power of the GM30 (5watt) I wasn't able to transmit to the repeater from my home. But hey, it was a free upgrade and win, in my book, knowing I can expand my range of reception if need be...WROA675 clear. 

 

 

[wayoverthere]

I believe the proper term, if you want to get technical, is "counterpoise"

And free upgrades are a definite win, on top of the fun of experimenting.

[JerryWROB834]

Yes , I have the same radio and the rate tail worked well. The Wally Lamb quote  same Lamb who lived in South Florida IBEW? 

[MichaelLAX]

22 hours ago, Papatree said:

"badges, badges, we don't need no stinking badges"(gratuitous movie line). 

 

 

  -- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: starring Humphrey Bogard, Walter Houston, and Tim Holt, directed by Walter's son, John Houston

[WROA675]

1 hour ago, JerryWROB834 said:

Yes , I have the same radio and the rate tail worked well. The Wally Lamb quote  same Lamb who lived in South Florida IBEW? 

http://www.wallylamb.net/

50 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:

  -- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: starring Humphrey Bogard, Walter Houston, and Tim Holt, directed by Walter's son, John Houston

Also, note worthy, the cult classic; Blazing Saddles: starring Cleavon Little, Slim Pickens, and Gene Wilder, directed by Mel Brooks.

[OldRadioGuy]

Good test and it totally makes sense.  There is no such thing as a monopole antenna so having an adequate ground structure is a significant influence. 

I have a compact FM broadcast radio and on weak stations you can't put the radio down.  It needs your hands on it to receive weak signals. 

 

Vince

[dirkvan]

On 10/13/2021 at 1:26 PM, Papatree said:

Hey now, this probably won't be too exciting for a lot of you, but I thought it was share-worthy, especially for us Noobies. Plus, I need to get more points towards my next badge..."badges, badges, we don't need no stinking badges"(gratuitous movie line). 

So after watching a couple GMRS radio videos, I saw a some of things on expanding the range for HTs. The one thing that caught my eye was the Rat Tail, so I tried it on my Radioddity GM30. As some of of you know, I live in a canyon with very limited reception, so any addition mods are helpful. 

I cut a nine inch piece of wire and first I connected it to the metal beltclip bracket, not sure if that made a difference. Next I unscrew the antenna (NA-771G) halfway, wrapped the wire around the post and screwed the antenna back down...then waited. It wasn't too much longer that I noticed it was picking up chatter. Some clearer than others, but definitely better reception than before. 

Then came the the golden nugget. I tried my nearest repeater and was able to hear the wild (sometime heated) conversations, last night (those here that were listening too know what I mean ). I doubled checked via text with my GMRS mentor that I was actually hearing the repeater and not so random local traffic, and yep, confirmed and successful ground trailing wire experiment. Unfortunately, with the low power of the GM30 (5watt) I wasn't able to transmit to the repeater from my home. But hey, it was a free upgrade and win, in my book, knowing I can expand my range of reception if need be...WROA675 clear. 

 

 

What gauge wire and was it bare copper or shielded?

[BoxCar]

24 AWG would be sufficient

[WROA675]

1 hour ago, dirkvan said:

What gauge wire and was it bare copper or shielded?

"220, 221, whatever it takes" -Mr. Mom. Seriously though, I have no idea what gauge it is, some wire I cut off a old phone charger cable...

 

[AdmiralCochrane]

I have used this scheme and even found my radio to be sensitive to the plane of the ground wire if held perpendicular to the antenna.  Best reception was with the loose wire pointed directly to or away from the other transmitter. 

[WROA675]

15 hours ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

Best reception was with the loose wire pointed directly to or away from the other transmitter. 

Same. Usually the wire is pointing down (opposite of the rubber duck), in the picture I tucked it to condense the shot.

[dhardin53]

I picked up a Zip-Tenna  with limiter use right now. But from what i have found for now any way weather band it makes a big difference.

I find anything with multi function worth looking into. Yes it serves as a passive ground plane, as well as a safety device so not to loos the radio. 

Kind of pricey, compared to .50 peace of copper. It has a interdating design and looks and feel built to last. More updates as I get to using it more.

 

 

 

[PACNWComms]

Never heard of the ZipTenna before this, but have used wire for a counterpoise many times. Also liked the Micronta Field Strength Meter in the video, has been a few years since seeing and using one of those. Mine has been missing the original piece of wire for the antenna for years, and at some point I added a battery holder and blue LED to backlight the meter for the cool factor. When I need the range/efficiency, I often add a counterpoise to my handheld radios, except at work......there I have simulcast assisting me.

[Bugkiller]

So, I’m the noobie you posted for.    Need to start my endless string of dumb questions today, so here we go!

Why did you cut the wire to 9 inches?  I went to a whip antenna length and frequency calculator, plugged in 462 MHz, and came up with 6 and 12 inches for 1/4 and 1/2 wavelength, respectively.   Is this not the proper resource for determine rat tail length?

Does the antenna you are using change the length of the “rat tail?”

 

 

 

 

[WROA675]

9 hours ago, Bugkiller said:

Does the antenna you are using change the length of the “rat tail?”

Yo BugKiller, in my opinion the only dumb question is the one not asked. I'm still a noobie, as well, so we are all learning as we go.

That said, the length of my rat-tail (aka-counterpoise) was just random. I just tried to match it to the length of the antenna.

It seems to work very well, I've even had it coiled around the belt clip to keep it from dangling and it still works great.

Don't be afraid to explore and experiment with your gear, it'll teach you alot, along with many here that have lots of knowledge to share.

73