Looking to upgrade the shack

[KH6DC]

You have a great setup already with a decent antenna.  If you got money burning a hole in your pocket, buy some rolls (>100ft rolls) of 18 or 16 gage wire and lay down more radials.

73, Delwyn KH6DC

[W8JX]

You have a great setup already with a decent antenna.  If you got money burning a hole in your pocket, buy some rolls (>100ft rolls) of 18 or 16 gage wire and lay down more radials.

73, Delwyn KH6DC

You do reach a point of diminishing returns were all the radials you can fit will not even give you 1/2 S-unit. 

[KD8RDJ]

You have a great setup already with a decent antenna.  If you got money burning a hole in your pocket, buy some rolls (>100ft rolls) of 18 or 16 gage wire and lay down more radials.

73, Delwyn KH6DC

Yeah, thats actually my next project. I didn't take care to bury the radials any and the lawnmower messed them up.

[K1CJS]

And that is why you see the need for improvement.

[W8JX]

You have a great setup already with a decent antenna.  If you got money burning a hole in your pocket, buy some rolls (>100ft rolls) of 18 or 16 gage wire and lay down more radials.

73, Delwyn KH6DC

Yeah, thats actually my next project. I didn't take care to bury the radials any and the lawnmower messed them up.

Not need to bury them but you should use landscaping stables to hold them flush with ground until the grow into grass.

[K9KJM]

I learned very late in life (After I had hundreds of radials buried the hard way) that the idea of just laying them on top and letting them "self bury" DOES WORK. And much faster and better than I ever thought.  As pointed out. Mow the grass short, A few home made staples to hold it down and there you are.

(My method of burying is to put out a soaker hose for a few hours to really wet the sod/soil before any attempt to bury, Then use a shovel digging with an extreme angle, Going left right, left right, left right so the sod "Hinges".    Lay the radial wire in the shallow trench, Go back and just flop the sod back in place in the reverse order, and stomp it down and you cannot even see a wire was buried!
Works great.   But is a whole lot more work than just laying on top and letting them self bury......)

[AD9DX]

My 2¢ is antenna first and if you have some money left over get an external speaker. I like the newer one from Palstar quite a bit and Paul is a stand up guy. It won't help you work more DX BUT it will make long hours of listening less fatiguing.

[KB2WIG]

The antenna is the big thing.

I'd sugest a few other things;
 
A good office type chair. One that you can safely lean back in. Sometimes a 20 min. nap helps things.
Small refrigerator and coffee maker.
1/2 bath makes things ok. I have to walk up the stairs.
Put a light under your workbench and operating position.
An extra 20A circuit.
An understanding wife/husband/sig. other

klc