Best way to install ground rods?
Michael Marmor
station ground. Does anyone have any advice or tips on ways to
install the rod? I am concerned that it might bend if hit with a
sledgehammer. Also, does the 8 foot rod need to be driven all the
way in to have an effective ground. (I do not know how the soil
conductivity is at the QTH here in Princeton, New Jersey; I imagine
conductivity dictates how deep the rod must be to function
effectively)
73
Michael, AA2UJ
mma...@pluto.njcc.com
hamilton on BIX
You should be able to drive the ground rod directly with a sledge
hammer unless when you say it's a copper rod, you mean REALLY
copper (pretty unlikely), not copper-clad steel. It's best if
you pick a day when the ground is somewhat wet as that'll make
it easier.
The only really tough part comes if you hit a big rock. You may
be able to break right thru it if you keep banging with the sledge
but depending on what you've hit, you may be forced to pull the
rod back out and try somewhere else. If you're already down 4
or 5 feet, pulling it out can take some real work! You may have
to dig it out!
In answer to your other question, yes, you do want to get it down
all the way into the ground, but part of that's just because having
it stick up out of the ground looks terrible. :-)
I just moved so I've been redoing my grounding also. In my case,
I went with the solid brass rods from I.C.E. These are available
only in 6' lengths (they're cut from 12' stock), so to make up for
that, I got 4 of them, which I arranged as one in the center and
the others every 120 degrees at a roughly 2' radius then joined
with 1/2" copper tubing to the center, where other connections
are made. (Actually, btw, I am curious if others have comments on
the I.C.E. ground rods. I was attracted by the non-corroding aspect
of a solid brass rod but disappointed not to be able to buy it in
an 8' length. OTOH, if it's sold by I.C.E., I was hopeful they
should know what they're doing.)
Also, in my case, I wanted to but my rods under some decking right
behind the house since that'd be both closest to the shack and
out-of-sight and not a hazard someone might trip on. But since
the deck only allows about 5' of headroom under it, I first just
used a shovel to dig down about 3' before driving the rods with
a sledge; once they were in far enough, I could push the soil
back in place. Digging out that first few feet had the side
benefit of giving me some idea of how much rock I was likely to hit.
Regards,
Doug Hamilton KD1UJ hami...@bix.com Ph 508-440-8307 FAX 508-440-8308
Hamilton Laboratories, 21 Shadow Oak Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776-3165, USA
Gary Coffman
Let me share a technique I've used for years. Dig a hole about the
size of a quart mason jar where you want the rod. Pour some water
in the hole and start working the rod up and down like you were
churning butter. Add a bit of water from time to time as the rod
continues to sink into the ground. It should take only a couple
of minutes to sink the rod all the way down. If you hit a rock,
a couple of whacks with a hammer will usually break it and let
you keep churning. You shouldn't even work up a sweat with this
method.
The rod should always be sunk it's full length into the ground.
Note, however, that it's the length in contact with the soil
that is important, depth is secondary. If the rod wants to go
in at an angle, let it, it won't make any difference as to the
effectiveness of the ground. In very rocky soil, you may even
want to dig a trench below the frost line and simply lay the
rod in it. That'll work as well as a rod sunk vertically in
the ground. You're trying to make contact with a *volume* of
soil to carry away ground currents. The orientation of that
volume is unimportant.
Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV | You make it, | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems | we break it. | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way | Guaranteed! | ga...@ke4zv.atl.ga.us
Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | |
Ron Cole
: I recently bought an 8 foot copper ground rod to be used as my
Check around and try to locate a fence post driver. It's basicaly a 3 or
4 inch pole with a lid welded to the top, and handeles on the side. It
allows you to easily drive the ground rod into the ground. It take less
than 5 minutes with one of these.
Ron
N5HYH
Keith wb9tiy
: Ron
: N5HYH
If you use a fence post driver (I do..) its worth your while to protect the
top of the rod while you drive it in. If the top of your rod is threaded,
most commercial ones are-to allow "stacking" several on top of each other,
either get the drive cap that they sell for this purpose or find a couple of
large nuts to thread on top. Bind them together and pound on the nuts instead
of the rod top.
If you mushroom the top of the rod, you won't be able to use the nice bronze
attachment "device" that slips over the rod.
Enjoy !
Keith WB9TIY
Society of Midwest Contesters
blck...@ripco.com
Bill Splaine
will also let you know if big rocks are a problem... start with an 8'length
of copper pipe or PVC or whatever is available... put a fitting(s) on the
end to allow attachment to a garden hose. Turn the hose on and push the
pipe into the ground... all the way down to 8' or the big rock/root or ???
Keep moving it up/down to facilitate removal of stones/dirt and to prevent
mud from 'grabbing' it. If you use copper pipe, you can sweat the fitting
off the end or just leave it there and attach your ground webbing to it. One
nice thing about the copper pipe is you can pour salts down it to help
improve the conductivity. Even drilling holes in the wall of the pipe helps
but only after you get to ground level for the hole... portable drills are
nice for this.
If you prefer solid rod, you now have a nice start to drive a copper(clad)
or brass rod into the ground easily.......
Worked for me...
--
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\ Bill Splaine E-MAIL > bspl...@sr.hp.com /
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Rolf Mathison
beyond mushrooming the top a little (Make SURE you put your attaching
clamp on BEFORE you start banging on the end ...it won't fit over
the deformed end). Drive it in as far as it will go, you can't have
too good a ground connection. Good Luck.
Rolf
IBM Gary
>>> install the rod?
I found an electrician in our neighborhood that was installing temporary
power drops for houses that were just getting started. I asked him to sink
my 8-foot steel ground rod when he was finishing a nearby job. He used a
vibrating impact drill of some sort, and had the thing sunk in 45 seconds,
in hard clay. Gave him a ten-dollar bill and a cold beverage for his
efforts!
Gary - WA2ROV
Jim Hollenback
: I recently bought an 8 foot copper ground rod to be used as my
sledgehammers are okay if you like working at it. I don't. I got a thingy
for installing metal fence posts ... the kind that have a U shaped cross-
section and a plate on the bottom to keep them from falling sidewise.
Its a 2 1/2 foot or so piece of 2 inch pipe with hanles on the side.
You bang it up and down, the ground rod goes in for all but the last
couple foot. A 5 lb hand sledge finishs the job real easy. I leave about
a foot sticking out ... then I can use the clamp and my 2 ton floor jack
to remove the rod. Just put the lifting part of the jack on the bolt end
of the clamp, pump until the end of the lift, drop the end, move the clamp
down, repeat until removed.
73, Jim, WA6SDM
jho...@cup.hp.com
Gordon Couger
hamilton on BIX <hami...@BIX.com> wrote:
>mma...@pluto.njcc.com (Michael Marmor) writes:
>
>>I recently bought an 8 foot copper ground rod to be used as my
>>station ground. Does anyone have any advice or tips on ways to
You should be able to make a slide hammer on a steel shaft that a 1/2
inch copper pipe would just fit over. Weld a knot on it to hammer
aginst and to stop the pipe. And just drive it down and then drive the
center rod back up of the copper pipe with the slide hammer going the
other way.
I tried to draw it but no luck.
Gordon
Gordon Couger
Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering
Oklahoma State University
114 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74074
gco...@olesun.agen.okstate.edu 405-744-9763 day 624-2855 evenings
I do not speak for my employer
Michael Marmor
Since this info may be of use to other amateurs installing antenna
systems I will post some of the replies I received.
Michael
______________________________________
From gsp...@ix.netcom.com Thu Jan 12 10:25:28 1995
I don't know your soil. I work in a clay Gumbo soil in Houton, Tx.
The way I install ground rods, I have 6 in a 1x3 meter square, is to
take a water hose and soften the soil a bit, then just start pushing the
rod a little, then lift it out of the hole, fill with water and repeat.
Don't go over 4 or 5 inches at a time making sure the water lubricates
the hole and rod. This takes about 30 minutes, don't use to much water,
you don't want to wash the hole out.
If this doesn't work build a driver for the rod, to do this take a peice
of steel or iron pipe about 4' long, put a cap on one end, slip over the
ground rod and use this to drive the rod, when you get to the 4' level
you can use a shorter piece of heavier pipe, or a real good friend and a
large hammer. I dig a hole and bury my rods complete, along with the
ground wire just for mowing and tripping reasons, in fact if I can't get
the rod clear in, I cut if off with a torch. I also Braise, not solder
the ground wire and use #4 fine strand wire.
Sparky KI5GY
-----------------
From: tig...@prairienet.org (Sean E. Kutzko)
Hi, Michael-
I was skeptical with this ground rod installation tip, until I tried it
out. It REALLY does work:
Dig a little hole (say 6") where you want the rod to go in place. Get a
large bucket of water and fill the freshly-dug hole with it. Jam the rod
into the water-filled hole. Lift out and jam back in. Repeat as needed.
The secret here is to make sure the hole for the ground rod is kept VERY
wet. This way, the water is doing all the work for you. I slapped an
8-footer into the ground in 5 minutes this way; no sledge hammer needed.
Depending on the type of soil you have, you might need a sledge for the
last foot or so. Once you hit it with a sledge, the back-and-forth
jamming process won't work any more, so be sure you REALLY want to use a
sledge on it.
BTW, get that sucker as far into the ground as you can. If it's an
8-footer, then sink it 7 and a half feet.
Good luck,
Sean
_____________________
From: Har...@yvax.byu.edu (Richard Harris)
I drove my 8' ground rod using a fence post driver. The post driver that I
used is one that is made to drive T type metal fence posts. This allowed
me to drive the post in about 6 feet or so and then I used a sledge to
finish driving the rod. I would drive it in all the way and make sure that
it is at least 6 inches below grade. I hope yours goes in better than
mine. I have very rocky soil and it took me 2-3 hours. I have put rods in
soil without rocks in 10 minutes.
good luck and 73
Richard Harris
KJ7CU
____________________
From spi...@hpscit.sc.hp.com Thu Jan 12 13:10:17 1995
You put it in with a ~2 foot piece of pipe with an end cap and a handle or
two on it. You can rent 'em from rental places or sometimes the local
home Honey-Do Emporium. Wear the thickest, foamiest gloves you have so you'll
be able to feel your hand when done pounding. How far in depends on your
year-around soil moisture conditions....yup, all the way in, unless you
hit an aquafer! :) Leave about 6" out for connecting your wire and then
spray paint it to keep the oxidation down. On the same day, once a year,
when you change the batteries in your smoke detectors, go out and check/
tighten it.
I put a BLUNT point on mine to help go arount the rocks and hardpan. A
sharp
point makes it wander too much.
The latest one was for 240VAC hot tub gounding. It has GOTTA work!
Bill
wb6rzg
_________________________
From hami...@BIX.com Thu Jan 12 13:43:10 1995
From ro...@VFL.Paramax.COM Thu Jan 12 15:02:27 1995
Is this by chance a Radio Shack 8 ft ground rod?
I bought 2 of them. Not bad, but a few weeks later I found virtually the
same thing at the new Home Depot for less than 1/2 the price :-)
Anyway... I drove 2 of them in but in both cases, they had a 2-3 foot head
start (started from the bottom of a hole). I got up on my 8 ft step ladder
at the beginning and used an 8 lb sledge hammer.
It is kind of hard to get them started since after each wack they tend to
>>> boing / wobble <<< around after they are hit. Makes aiming the next
wack a bit difficult. I did it all by myself. I certainly would be easier
with a helper to hold the rod (then I can hit his hands when I miss :-) )
One thing I have read, and I did once before (I expect to try this for
the 4 more that I have to drive in) is to get a short section of threaded
steel pipe with an ID just large enough to fit over the ground rod, and put
an end cap on the steel pipe then slide it over top of the ground rod.
It will give you a slightly larger target to hit.
Once you get the rod started you just have to keep at it. Take your time.
Try not to miss. You will feel it go in with each wack but you will also
feel it when it hits a rock (very rocky soil around here). But I kept
wacking away and it would start to go down again.. I got both of them in
the full 8 feet. My goal is to have 4 8 footers at the base of my
tower and at least 2 more 8 footers where the cables enter the house.
I would do what you can to go the full 8 feet if you really want them to do
the job. If you really can't go 8 feet then (and you know this in advance)
the next best thing would be to go with twice as many 4 footers (or 6 foot).
If necessary buy/borrow/rent/steal:-) a bigger sledge hammer. I would say
8 pound is minimum. A 12 or 16 pounder should drive a rod through almost
anything short of thick concrete :)
One more thing. The radio shack ground rods had a reasonably nice point
on the ends. The ones at Home Depot did not. You should try to grind a
point on them if you can ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ROCKY SOIL.
It goes without saying. Don't drive in any ground rods if there is
any chance of hitting anything below. Saftey glasses are not a bad
idea too :-)
Pete Rossi - WA3NNA
---------------------------
Thanks to everyone who replied to my post.
73
Michael, AA2UJ
mma...@pluto.njcc.com
--
73
Michael, AA2UJ
mma...@pluto.njcc.com
Claudio Leiva
gco...@jsun.okstate.edu says...
I've been told by wiser men than I, to test the ground system by
attaching a power lead from the hot side of the 110 V circuit
thru a 1.5 amp. slow blow fuse to the ground rod and if it blows
it, then it may be appropiate for use. I've got hit here once
withouut any visible damage exept the G7 blew appart...
Claudio AB4OD
Dave Johnson
> The only really tough part comes if you hit a big rock. You may
> be able to break right thru it if you keep banging with the sledge
> but depending on what you've hit, you may be forced to pull the
> rod back out and try somewhere else. If you're already down 4
> or 5 feet, pulling it out can take some real work! You may have
> to dig it out!
If you must remove a partially installed rod, you might try using a jack
(automotive bumper type might work, but heavier duty is better). Install
a clamp to the rod, and a chain/cable between the clamp and jack. Beats
digging in rocky ground.
73,
de Dave KB5YIW
Chuck Hawley
Dig a small hole, fill it with water, push the rod down, keep pulling it up and out of the hole to let the water go in. Takes about 5 min or so. Sometimes it
goes down a foot at a time.
Chuck Hawley, KE9UW in Urbana, Illinois
haw...@aries.scs.uiuc.edu
School of Chemical Sciences, Electronic Services
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Jon Stuart
: I recently bought an 8 foot copper ground rod to be used as my
Frank Reid
the water. Shove the pipe in the ground as it flushes the dirt away from
its outer end. When it's in deep enough, pull it out and insert ground
rod or just leave the pipe in.
--
Frank re...@indiana.edu W9MKV
Gordon Couger
Bill Splaine <bspl...@sr.hp.com> wrote:
>You might try making a waterdrill to start things off on a good footing.. it
>will also let you know if big rocks are a problem... start with an 8'length
I have considered jetting down a ground rod but I don't think the contatc
with the ground would be as good as a driven rod.
Gordon AB5DG
Gordon Couger
Todd Little <lit...@iamu.chi.dec.com> wrote:
>
>
>FWIW I've heard others though claim that you shouldn't use water as they
>claim that when the soil dries, it will shrink and pull away from the
>pipe. My personal experience suggest that is nonsense, at least here in
>the midwest with our clay. Once planted, these things are in to stay.
>(If you need to pull a rod out, we've had success on FD with bumper jacks.)
It depends on the soil type. Sand will never lose contact and clay
will every time it gets dry.
Gordon
PaulS1234
"butter churning" method works! I've installed a total of seven rods in
this manner and always got the rod in at least six feet prior to needing a
sledge. Three of these rods were installed this way in clay. It works!
Paul W9JTO
Ron Lile
All of the replies to Michael's request can and do produce good ground rod
installations.
There is one item that many of us forget to consider when installing our
ground rods, that is, where does the ground rod go. This is sure to light a
few fires, but my point is to be sure and install the rod where it will do the
most good.
The main point is to install the rod where the soil will remain damp for the
duration of the rods life. I make this statement because I have seen rods
installed under the eve (sp?) of the house and it is in very dry ground,
greatly reducing the effectiveness of the rod. If this arraingement must be
used, multple rods are required according to the ground conductivity.
My main rod is 18" out from the edge of the eve and bonded to the antenna
entrance plate using 1.5" copper strap. This is well out in the yard where
the ground receives plenty of rain.
73's and GL
Ron K0RL
Michael Mraz
rods into my rocky soil is by using an electric jack-
hammer (Bosch builds a nice 110V model).
The sledge method usually hangs up on a large rock,
and then repeated blows result in a broken sledge handle
(you miss the ground rod and it hits the wooden handle,
splintering it).
Instead, I wait until I need to pound several rods (to make
the jackhammer rental cost-efficient) and then rent the
Bosch from the local rental center (about $45 for 4 hours).
You remove the point (or whatever tool is installed in the
chuck) and put the chuck on top of the ground rod and then
let her rip. If you hit a big rock, it only takes a minute
for the jackhammer to split it, and the the rod is on its
way again.
It's so fast and easy that it's the only way to go. You
can pound an 8-footer in a minute or two, even when hitting
large rocks along the way. A few months ago, I broke up
a concrete 8x8 foot patio and pounded 4 8-foot ground rods
in less than 2 hours.
Bob Martin N6MZV
> Our FCC "open air" test site had to drive about 100 ground rods. They
discovered
> that "real grounders" use a hammer drill, even medium size works well.
I havn't
> had the need since I learned this technique, they say the rods go in like into
> warm butter. The soil is good Iowa bottom land though, not rocky, so
take it with
> the proverbial grain of salt.
>
Makita electric jack hammer also works well- will drive ground rods through
clay, tough soil, clay sewer pipe-
it's always a good idea to check first. I *almost* put one through a sewer
line- but I checked, and managed to miss it.
73-
--
Bob Martin * r...@newton.apple.com
N6MZV * N6MZV @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM
--
(This idea of putting Canter & Siegel in your .sig is really stupid)
Chris Elmquist
>
>My main rod is 18" out from the edge of the eve and bonded to the antenna
>entrance plate using 1.5" copper strap. This is well out in the yard where
>the ground receives plenty of rain.
>
So, I'm curious how folks go about bonding heliax to ground at the point
of entrance. Do you really need to cut that beautiful length of 7/8"
line and install a connector... so that you can hook it to a Polyphaser
or some such gizmo ? Is it sufficient to just remove some of the jacket
and bond the shield to the entrance panel with some form of clamping
mechanism ?
Obviously, littering the line with connectors is going to have an
adverse affect on line loss. 'Course, a lightning hit would too...
Thanks for any tips...
Chris
--
Chris Elmquist, N0JCF On Dr. McCoy's tombstone: "He's dead Jim".
chr...@n0jcf.com
n0...@amsat.org
Ray Johnston
tour of punishment and torture). If you keep the ground flooded in water
and don't hit a rock, you should be able to get the rod down to about
two feet exposed if you just grab the rod with your hands and slam it down,
lift it up, slam it down, etc. It may sound strange, but I lost the bet
with an 'old dog' when he bet me he could drive the ground rods with just
a coke bottle. (He didn't tell me about the water in the bottle...) It
REALLY is easier than trying to use a sledge hammer to drive it in. Of
course, you will have to use the sledge for the last foot or two.
Good luck, and have fun...
Ray
--
--------
Ray Johnston (vis...@gate.net) Boca Raton FL USA
Ron Cole
: So, I'm curious how folks go about bonding heliax to ground at the point
: of entrance. Do you really need to cut that beautiful length of 7/8"
: line and install a connector... so that you can hook it to a Polyphaser
: or some such gizmo ? Is it sufficient to just remove some of the jacket
: and bond the shield to the entrance panel with some form of clamping
: mechanism ?
The standard that we use in Comercial applications is to ground the
Shield at the entrance to the building. There is a "Grounding Kit"
available but you can simple swap a copper strap around the shield and
clamp it to the coax with a hose clamp. Don't forget to cover this
conneciton with rubber tape like 23, no 33 or 88.
Ron
N5HYH
System Administrator
> In article <rel.98....@glenqcy.glenayre.com>,
> >
> >My main rod is 18" out from the edge of the eve and bonded to the antenna
> >entrance plate using 1.5" copper strap. This is well out in the yard where
> >the ground receives plenty of rain.
> >
>
> So, I'm curious how folks go about bonding heliax to ground at the point
> of entrance. Do you really need to cut that beautiful length of 7/8"
> line and install a connector... so that you can hook it to a Polyphaser
> or some such gizmo ? Is it sufficient to just remove some of the jacket
> and bond the shield to the entrance panel with some form of clamping
> mechanism ?
>
> Obviously, littering the line with connectors is going to have an
> adverse affect on line loss. 'Course, a lightning hit would too...
>
> Thanks for any tips...
>
> Chris
(Using Andrew's Bulletin 17800B, Rev. A, Section 4 as a reference.)
The top and bottom of the cable attached to the tower should be electrically
grounded to the tower with Andrew grounding kits for lightning protection.
The antenna input connection can not serve as the top ground point. Also
ground the cable run at mid point if it's height on the tower is greater than
200 feet (61 m). [We wish] Local building codes should be followed, which may
require grounding the cable outside, near the wall of the equipment building.
The cable should also be grounded near the wall inside the building (per NEC
Article 810-55 and 820-33 grounding requirements).
Blah...That's whatthey say. The grounding kits are clamp style, and accept to
about 4 ga. wire. You can use a *copper* grounding rod clamp the same way,
being careful not to crush your heliax. Don't use an aluminium clamp.
It would be a good idea to spray insulating varnish over the exposed jacket
and clamp to reduce corrosion, and then wrap it up good with a high quality
tape. (I use 3M Super 33+) Insulating varnish is great, sprays on link
paint and protects well, and has a dry rating of about 1KV/mil. I also use it
on UHF and N connectors with heatshrink (and bead the ends of the heatshrink
with 100% silicon seal after the varnish drys up).
Also, I still have a few hundred feet of 1/2" Heliax (STILL!) FSJ4-50B,
50 Ohms, loss chart on request, 81% VF, Foam Dialectric, Superflex Jacket.
Retails at $3.21/ft in small qualities, I'll sell it at $.80/ft and can ship
(70Lb limit) continious lengths to 450' (1500+ if you arrange shipping!)
New unused, spool tails from a HUGE purchase.
--- --- --- --- Soft Judges Make Hardened Criminals --- --- --- ---
Sys...@hale.cts.com I believed what I was told, I thought it was a
Hale Telecommunications Inc. good life, I thought I was happy. Then I found
619/280-7775 V.32bis something that changed it all. (Anonymous, 2112)
Ron Lile
>So, I'm curious how folks go about bonding heliax to ground at the point
>of entrance. Do you really need to cut that beautiful length of 7/8"
>line and install a connector... so that you can hook it to a Polyphaser
>or some such gizmo ? Is it sufficient to just remove some of the jacket
>and bond the shield to the entrance panel with some form of clamping
>mechanism ?
>Obviously, littering the line with connectors is going to have an
>adverse affect on line loss. 'Course, a lightning hit would too...
>Thanks for any tips...
>Chris
Many of the commercial installations do indeed remove the poly jacket at the
entrance to the building and install a ground wire/strap at that point. This
is on the inside of the building at the entrance for all the feedlines. This
is tied to the building ground system. there are however, many sites which
don't bother to ground the feedline until it reaches the equipment cabinet
(bad move).
For my entrance at the Ham shack, I have a large aluminum plate in the
basement wall which is grounded (previous post) and has all feedthrough
ligthning protective devices. There are 6 with N connectors, 5 UHF, and a
slew of BNC for various test purposes (don't have ligthning protection on
them). Knock on wood, I have not had any serious ligthning damage in many
years. I don't find the few tenths of a dB a serious loss. The feedlines on
the inside of the house are then only afew feet long as the racks of equipment
are immediately adjacent to the entrance panel.
Have fun
Ron K0RL
Gary Coffman
>In article <3f42l8$l...@canyon.sr.hp.com>,
>Bill Splaine <bspl...@sr.hp.com> wrote:
>>You might try making a waterdrill to start things off on a good footing.. it
>>will also let you know if big rocks are a problem... start with an 8'length
>
>I have considered jetting down a ground rod but I don't think the contatc
>with the ground would be as good as a driven rod.
A waterdrill is bad because it jets the liquid mud out of the hole.
That leaves nothing to fill back against the rod. Using the churning
method is better. It will have a totally intimate connection after
the mud sets around the rod. Don't wiggle it while it's drying. You
dig a shallow hole and pour water in it first, a hole about the size
of a quart Mason jar works well. This will hold the liquid mud displaced
by the rod being sunk, so that it can return down the hole when you are
finished churning and set up around the rod. Add water as needed during
the churning, but don't overflow the hole.
The puddle of liquid mud left at the top prevents shrinkage from allowing
the soil to separate from the rod. As the soil around the rod dries,
through water adsorption in the surrounding soil, the remaining mud seeps
down to fill any pores that form. Don't backfill the top hole until the
mud is fully dry. You'll need a strong jack to get the rod back out of
the ground once the mud sets up, takes a few days in average soil to
fully dry.
I've sunk grounds this way for many years after being taught the method
by an old electrician. Works good, very low effort required, very intimate
connection to Earth. Better IMHO than any driven rod.
Gary Coffman
>of entrance. Do you really need to cut that beautiful length of 7/8"
>line and install a connector... so that you can hook it to a Polyphaser
>or some such gizmo ? Is it sufficient to just remove some of the jacket
>and bond the shield to the entrance panel with some form of clamping
>mechanism ?
>
>Obviously, littering the line with connectors is going to have an
>adverse affect on line loss. 'Course, a lightning hit would too...
Standard bulkhead entrance panels are available with boots and
clamps for grounding the outer conductor of heliax where it enters
a building. This *should* provide electrical safety of life, and
fire protection for the building. However, this won't provide
lightning protection for your equipment. The center conductor still
needs to be suppressed. Some folks do this at the equipment, but
that's a bad practice which violates the single point ground principle.
It's best to terminate the cable at the entrance bulkhead via a
connector and proper suppressor. The short whip of cable inside
can either be another run of heliax, or a more flexible cable.
The 0.1 db of loss introduced by the connectors/suppressor is
a good trade off against lightning damage.
ro...@ancc.com
>>will also let you know if big rocks are a problem... start with an 8'length
>
>I have considered jetting down a ground rod but I don't think the contatc
>with the ground would be as good as a driven rod.
>
I have heard exactly this. In fact, the ARRL made mention of it in a
past issue, that in many types of soils, most of what is left after using
water pressure to make the hole, is stones. All of the conductive earth
is washed away, and the worse conductors are left in contact with the
ground pipe. Measured ground conductivity is worse after using the water
method. The other thing is that pipe tends to clog, then freeze, and
split open. I much prefer the 5/8" galvanized ground rods that are
commercially sold. Yes, you have to beat on them for 10 minutes to get
one in, but unlike pipe, they don't buckle under the beating, and they
last.
Bruce N9EHA
---------------------------
Bruce Warrington
American National Can Corp.
Chicago, IL USA
br...@ancc.com
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