Hi 4 hours of back-breaking labour has resulted in my being able to get a ground rod down 14" using a 10# hand sledge. My soil is extremely rocky and this rod MUST go in within a foot of a 100+ year
OK, an update. I tried a different tactic. I went in at about a 60 degree angle, against earth that's sloping about 60 degrees the other way (picture a sideways letter X - earth going one way, ground
At our place, we have "cemented hard pan" that is totally waterproof. You can soak it for 3 months and nothing will happen to it. Only a carbide masonry bit will bore a hole in it. Rick N6RK ________
If it MUST absolutely have a ground rod, which I dont understand why, then drilling is one option it seems. You can rent air or electric impact drills and extensions. You may want to treat the soil d
For RF grounding, radials are always better than a ground rod, so just cut it off where it is and add a couple more radials than you would have otherwise, and you're good to go. Dan ________________
That's the description here, too. on the western side of a small rocky mountain. There are a few places I got an 8' rod down using the electrician's Bosch hammerdrill last year, but most only went do
Just bury a few strips of copper flashing just under the surface. All you need for a K9AY loop is about 200 ohms ground resistance. Jerry, K4SAV _______________________________________________ ______
Drill a pilot hole using an SDS+ electric hammer drill and a 1.0 metre long carbide-tipped drill bit of the same diameter as the rod. You don't need a huge heavy drill - it's the hammer action that d
I'm not sure I'd want to soak the roots of a 100 year old oak tree with a heavy salt solution ... Dave AB7E _______________________________________________ ___________________________________________
a ground rod down 14" using a 10# hand sledge. My soil is extremely rocky and this rod MUST go in within a foot of a 100+ year old oak (for a K9AY loop - Gary sez it must be right at the base). I don
There's really no point driving the rod in further if it will only be embeded in rock or roots. That's not ground and will do you no good. It would be one thing if you knew you would find ground once
ORIGINAL MESSAGE: -- REPLY FOLLOWS -- Are you sure this loop needs to be grounded at all? The loops I'm familiar with are all self-contained antennas, much like a dipole, and don't need a ground any
There are some loops that can function without a ground, such as a flag or pendant. The K9AY requires a ground. It won't work without it. Each of its loops functions basically as two phased verticals
Depth is usually not a factor for an RF ground, especially for reception. Cut off the rod you have and lay out a few radials from it. ("Few" might mean something like 10, each as long as convenient b