What balance (radials or counterpoise) do I need for a vertical hamstick as a stealth antenna?

Question

I'm just getting back into operating after a long break. I'm currently in a ground-floor apartment of an old four-plex and I'm trying to set up a stealth-like antenna for HF. I decided on the Shark mini stick monoband verticals (got the four-pack for 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters) since I'm not likely to operate on more than one band at a time and the sticks are easy enough to swap out. I'll be using a 3/8x24 to SO-239 mount that's intended for a mirror bar mount on a truck about 8' off the ground attached to the top horizontal on steel security window bars. It's a far cry from the ideal situation, but I'm working on upgrading from my old Tech Plus (which I guess is the equivalent of the modern Tech), and want to get an HF rig in operation for code practice and digital modes.

Am I better off running some radials or a few counterpoises? I can really only run cable east/west for radials or counterpoises, as there is only about six feet between our outside wall and the neighboring bungalow complex maybe some kind of artificial ground plane? Or how will the steel security bars affect all of this? Since my feed point is less than a quarter wavelength above ground on 10m, I need some help here. (Ahhh, L.A.). Ideas? Recommendations? Trying to keep QRM to a minimum.

Answer 1

A counterpoise is always 1/4 wave length, and you can set-up a pair for each band you have without needing to disconnect any of them between switching HamSticks, since, like a fan dipole, stray currents that want to travel down the coax shield, will get shunted onto the lowest impedance counterpoise wires, which will be the ones that are closest to 1/4 wavelength in length. Remember that if your counterpoise is 90 degrees from the radiator, you will likely have a feed-point impedance of about 37 Ohms; If you can get the counterpoise wires to about 135 degrees, you will be closer to 50 Ohms.