Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Vertical antennas are popular on HF, but most of them are far less efficient than operators realize. The reason? Ground loss.

In this video, we break down where your RF power actually goes when you feed a vertical antenna. It’s not just radiation, a significant portion can be dissipated in the ground system, especially when radials are inadequate or poorly implemented.

We’ll cover:

-What “ground loss” really is (and what it is NOT)
-How return currents flow in a vertical antenna system
-Why radials dramatically affect efficiency
-How ground loss impacts your effective radiated power (ERP)
-Practical ways to reduce loss and improve performance

This is not a surface-level explanation, this is an in-depth look at vertical antenna efficiency, grounded in real RF behavior.

If you’ve ever wondered why your vertical “works” but underperforms compared to expectations, this is likely the missing piece.

Documents Referenced in this video:
audiosystemsgroup.com/43FtVertical.pdf
kkn.net/dayton2004/HF_vertical_ground_system_design_N6LF_Dayton.pdf

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