I've written a Windows program that calculates ground permittivity, conductivity, and skin depth using impedance data from a soil probe and vector network analyzer, such as an N2PK. Realistic ground parameters are important when comparing horizontal and vertical antenna models. General terrain descriptions and ground conductivity maps are much too coarse. Ground parameters also vary with frequency. With a soil probe you can determine the parameters of your local ground at the frequency of interest. Skin depth can help you assess the limitation of a surface probe when the ground is inhomogeneous. The program reads Touchstone, VNA4win, and W5BIG VNA files.
See README.TXT for instructions. It includes references on making and using a soil probe.
Download:
Brian
