The Best Portable HF Vertical? This Test Changed My Mind

I thought two elevated radials were enough. After more testing, advice from RF engineer Joeri ON6URE (RF.Guru), and one accidental discovery during a live activation, the evidence changed my mind. ✅ In this video I explain why I now recommend FOUR elevated radials and why I no longer use ground-laid radials for portable HF verticals. The POTA PERformer, designed by Greg Mihran (KJ6ER), is one of the cleverest portable HF antennas available. Greg has made the complete design freely available, allowing anyone to build a highly efficient multiband vertical for very little cost. It works from 20 metres to 2 metres using resonant elements and has rightly earned widespread recognition. This video follows the journey from my original two-radial tests, through statistical analysis, constructive criticism from Joeri, and finally an unexpected equipment fault during a real POTA activation that completely changed my conclusion. During my latest activation from Weaver Hills using the FlexRadio Aurora, a poor radial connection highlighted just how important redundancy can be in the real world. That experience reinforced what theory had been suggesting all along. 🎯 My conclusion: use four elevated, tuned radials. They’re simple to deploy, tolerant of real-world conditions, and, in my experience, outperform any portable system using ground-laid radials. Greg’s PERformer design allows anyone to build a high-performance portable antenna for a fraction of the cost of many commercial alternatives, and his designs are freely available for the amateur radio community. 📊 The video includes all the measurements, test methodology, statistical analysis and the reasoning behind my change of mind. If you’ve ever wondered how many radials a portable vertical really needs, or whether elevated radials are worth the effort, this video is for you. 73, David G3LRC #HamRadio #PortableHF #radio #Antenna #ElevatedRadials