Raised Radials vs Ground Radials: Height Wins on 15, 17 and 20 Meters

There’s a persistent myth being echoed by those guys on YouTube who love there verticals: "There's hardly any difference between a vertical with lots of radials on the ground and one with elevated radials."

Let’s set the record straight—there is a difference, and on 15, 17 and 20 meters, it’s not subtle. Especially when it comes to DX performance, height wins—every time.

Two Common Configurations Compared for 15 meters.

1. Traditional Ground-Mounted Vertical

  • Radiator: ¼-wave vertical (~3.75 m)
  • Radials: 32 to 64 wires, each ¼-wave (~3.75 m), lying on or just above ground level
  • Feedpoint: At ground level

2. Elevated Feedpoint Vertical

  • Radiator: ¼-wave vertical (~3.75 m)
  • Radials: 4 rigid aluminum radials at 45° downward angle, resonant at 15m band
  • Feedpoint: 6 meters above ground

Takeoff Angle and Radiation Pattern

The ground-mounted version suffers from significant ground losses and a higher takeoff angle, especially over average soil. Even with 64 radials, the main lobe rarely dips below 20–25°, and ground-induced loss still eats a chunk of your power—typically 1–2 dB or more.

In contrast, the elevated version:

  • Has much lower ground loss, as the radial system doesn't need to soak into the lossy earth
  • Exhibits a peak radiation angle around 15° or even lower
  • Produces ~3–4 dB more gain at DX angles compared to the same vertical with radials on the ground
  • That’s not just a better lobe—it’s up to 2.5× more power reaching the horizon

Simulation Insight (NEC2/NEC4 Based)

Simulations clearly back this up:

  • A ¼-wave vertical with 32 ground radials (~0.1 dB gain at 15°)
  • The same vertical raised to 6 m with 4 sloped radials: 2.5–3.5 dB gain at 10–15°

Even if you lay out 64 radials, your feedpoint is still sitting in a lossy medium, and the takeoff angle remains compromised. You get broader energy spread and less DX punch.

The Real-World Verdict

This isn’t theory—it’s been measured in the field. Users switching from ground-mounted verticals to elevated installations with only 4 sloped radials routinely report:

  • Lower noise floor (less ground-coupled QRM)
  • Better low-angle DX performance
  • Stronger S-meter reports on long-haul contacts

In other words: fewer radials + height = better performance.

Final Words

If you’ve got the space and mast height, raising your feedpoint and using sloped resonant radials is simply superior—especially on bands like 15 meters where low-angle performance really matters.

So next time someone parrots the “no difference” myth, show them the pattern plots and ask:

“Do you want to work The US on the west coast, or just light up the clouds?”

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Written by Joeri Van Dooren, ON6URE – RF, electronics and software engineer, complex platform and antenna designer. Founder of RF.Guru. An expert in active and passive antennas, high-power RF transformers, and custom RF solutions, he has also engineered telecom and broadcast hardware, including set-top boxes, transcoders, and E1/T1 switchboards. His expertise spans high-power RF, embedded systems, digital signal processing, and complex software platforms, driving innovation in both amateur and professional communications industries.