Ham Radio vertical antennas

It has been said that a vertical antenna radiates equally poor in all directions. I have found this to be somewhat true, but I have a full size 1/4 wave 40 meter vertical that will work the far East or Pacific if you want to stay up late enough. If you want your vertical to work greater distances you must get the angle of radiation lower to the horizon. To do this you need radials and lots of them. 120 would be perfect but with the price of copper wire I would shoot for 60. You don't see many verticals with 60 radials because the wire is costly and you have to keep them out of the lawn mowers reach. I dug mine in with shovel and ax. It was much work and I don't think I would do it now with my age. A better way is to have it done by a underground dog fence installer. He has a machine that will do the job in no time at all and the rates are very low. An installer that will cover Southeast Indiana is: Invisible Fence with the phone of 812-539-3647