Jorge,
The VE9 (NB) way of doing in-ground (and other) radials: I made a tool for installing radials in my VERY rocky soil and it likely took me less than an hour to get it up and running. I had my lawn tractor as the main machine and power source. I removed one of the roller wheels the mower deck rides on that touches the ground/grass. I replaced this one wheel, which was actually on the right side of the deck (doesnt matter which side, so long as you can monitor progress) I replaced it with a large bolt, to which I welded a small blade. I dont recall the exact dimensions of the blade right now but something along the lines of 2 inch wide, 6 long and perhaps close to ¼ thick. It was just a pc of scrap steel I had laying around. The sharp edge of the blade was facing forward. So now, when I drive along, mower deck in the down position, the blade cuts a slot in the lawn. In my case, using the work LAWN is a bit strong, as we are using old cow fields over rocky soil. I have an inch or two of soil and gravel/rocks under that. This would be a walk in the park on a real lawn. Anyways ..I am getting off track. On the back edge of the blade I taped a small diameter piece of scrap water pipe I had. I didnt quite put it down as deep as the blade as I found it was getting torn off. I think Probably 4 down, then the blade extended down a bit below that. I think it was 3/8 diameter pipe. Any rugged tubing or pipe Should work. The tape you use to attach the tube/pipe to the blade will eventually wear out from hitting the soil , so you should replace it every hour or so. I simply placed a rugged cardboard box, with a 5,000 spool of #22 enameled copper motor wire on the top of my mower deck and fed the wire down through the tube/pipe on the back of the blade. IIRC the spool was suspended with a very large screwdriver jammed into the box. Strictly low-tech. When I started out, I was at the tower, and tied off the wire and also pinned down the first few feet of the radial just because the lay of the land did not allow cutting the slot all the way to the tower. Your installation may be different. I then drove slowly along and the wire pulled itself off from the spool, through the cardboard box, through the tube and left itself down in the slot the blade was making. When I finished laying out a radial, I cut the wire, then pushed the soil back into the 130 long slot with my foot and then did the next one. I found thinner wire easier to get down in and stay in the slot. Larger or springy wire would not work. Go too small and it would break. I did try galvanized fencing wire too but it does not like to stay put ! Once I got used to this method I would be able to do a radial in probably in 10 minutes depending on how many large rocks I encountered. It was messy but this method did work well, however it was unnecessary. The following year I just laid the wire on the ground (tightly), pinned it down here and there with small homemade staples and in a couple months, the grass ate them up and they were virtually gone. I did lose a few of the on the ground radials to the nasty mower blade, but rolling out a spool of wire using a home made handle was pretty darn quick. I could probably do 20 or more an hour compare to 5 or 6 an hour using the mower. I will not cut slots again. In fact, all radials here are now raised radials (in the woods) but that was not your question, hi ! GL with your cutting. Mike VE9AA Mike, Coreen & Corey Keswick Ridge, NB _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband