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Re: [TowerTalk] Tower Ground Question

To: "'Richardson, Ed'" <ERichardson@winnipeg.ca>, <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tower Ground Question
From: "Gary Schafer" <garyschafer@comcast.net>
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 18:07:03 -0500
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Hi Ed,

You don't say what kind of tower you have?
Are you putting the tower into the concrete or mounting it on the concrete
with J bolts?

You should tie the J bolts into the rebar inside the concrete. Do NOT run
ground wires out of the concrete to ground rods. Fasten your ground wires to
the ground rods from the tower just above the concrete. The tower will be
bonded to the rebar by the J bolt connection.

Making a ring to tie the ground rods together will do nothing for you. It is
a waste of copper. Lightning propagates out away from the tower following
each ground lead. The voltage difference between any two ground rods will be
essentially zero.

73
Gary  K4FMX


> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:towertalk-
> bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Richardson, Ed
> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 1:21 PM
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Tower Ground Question
> 
> Just getting set to pour the foundation for my new tower - finally. I am
> not sure in which manner to proceed with the final grounding step.
> 
> 
> 
> I have tied my rebar all together securely, ran a #2 cable all around
> the four sides of the cage just to make sure there is continuity across
> the corners.
> 
> 
> 
> My first and preferred option was going to be to install a #2 solid
> tinned Cu cable from each tower leg through the concrete to the closest
> rebar side and continue out of the concrete below ground level to the
> nearest ground rod. There will be three ground rods spaced about 6 feet
> from the tower all connected together with 1.5" Cu strap ring.
> 
> 
> 
> The second option recommended on a couple web sites is to connect the
> rebar in the concrete out the concrete below ground to the nearest
> ground rod and run a second cable above ground from the tower leg just
> above the concrete to the ground rod.
> 
> 
> 
> Is there a preference to either option? What have others done?
> 
> 
> 
> Ed, VE4EAR
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> 
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