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I just posted a very low-cost ground plane vertical antenna that anyone can make :
this antenna is useful for frequencies up to 1 GHz (900 MHz ISM band) down to FM radio (88 MHz on the low end), but will need to be sized appropriately for the center radiator (1/2 wavelength) and the four counterpoise ground radials (1/4 wavelength).
this is what the radiation pattern would look like with a flat disk ground plane :
obviously the radiation pattern is pointing to high upward, hence the ground radials are pointing downward to lower the radiation angle, which makes sense for an antenna on a mast.
For an antenna that is physically at the ground level, a higher radiation pattern is desireable to get over trees and other obstructions. Also if there are ground radials, there typically has to be many (24+) that are actually buried into the ground (Earth).
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