Currently running a 33-foot vertical with 16 quarter-wave radials on 40 meters. Many hams find the 33-foot vertical to be a sweet spot for size. That represents a quarter-wavelength of the 40 meter band. Getting decent performance but considering expanding to 32 radials for better efficiency. These are the vertical's radials. They provide the essential ground connection that creates the "other half" of the antenna. Has anyone done a real-world comparison of radial count on 40m? Looking for practical advice on cost vs. performance tradeoff.

The theoretical improvement from 16 to 32 quarter-wave radials is about 1 dB, maybe less in real soil conditions. I went from 16 to 24 on my 40m vertical and honestly couldn't measure a significant difference on-air. Save your wire and focus on height instead.

Just added 8 more radials to my system last month (now at 24 total). SWR dropped slightly and reports seem marginally better, but it's subtle. If you have a generous radial system, the vertical can do at least as well as a dipole in many circumstances.

Are you laying them on the ground or burying them? I've found that even 4-6 elevated radials at 8-10 feet can outperform 32 ground radials in some situations. Might be worth experimenting before adding more ground wire.