My New Ham Shack and Antenna

The gain for the patterns shown are not very accurate. 4Nec2 doesn't allow end-fed wires. Feeding a flat antenna with a center feed yields substantially better gain and a perfectly symmetrical pattern than breaking the wires and end feeding them, allowing for a downward slope (as installed). I'd estimate at least 2dBi more gain than shown, but it is impossible to know for sure. I've made multiple attempts to contact and purchase NEC5 from Lawrence Livermore Labs. Still, they consistently ignore my emails (a typical government response).

My ground consists of a 3x20-foot copper sheet buried just outside the room and numerous bare wires, ranging from 25 to 100 feet long and as large as 2 AWG. In fact, two #2 wires connect to the solar racks, which have one ground rod at each pillar (10 total). If you are wondering if I bonded this system to the AC ground, the answer is - this is the AC ground.