Re: [TowerTalk] Grounding a bracketed tower

[Red <RedHaines@centurytel.net>]

Hi, Mark;

Good information is available in PolyPhaser's book and in the 
application notes from ICE.  

For a tower not at the corner of your building fan out at least five 
radials counting two that are part of a building perimeter or part of a 
perimeter.  Use more if at a corner.  Connect the ground system to the 
utility grounds, usually as part of the building perimeter.  Distribute 
radials among the three tower legs, to reduce inductive impedance. 
Connect to the tower legs in a manner that prevents rapid corrosion; 
never put copper against galvanize.  Space ground rods on each radial at 
or a bit less than twice their depth.  Make each radial at least four 
times the ground rod depth.  Use CadWeld connections or plan to inspect, 
clean, add anti-corrosion compound and tighten clamp connections a 
couple times each year.

The objective is to minimize peak voltage at the interface with the 
in-house system by providing multiple low impedance paths to as much 
volume of earth as is possible (earth is a lossy capacitor, not a very 
good conductor), while keeping the whole in-house system at nearly the 
same potential.  The high voltage transmission line doesn't hurt the 
bird on a single wire!

73 de WOØW

Mack McLaughlin wrote:

> I have a bracketed 25G tower and need to install a ground system.  I
> have read over a years worth of grounding advice and will install a SPG
> system.  
>
> A question I have however is how to best run ground radials from the
> tower?  With two of the tower legs a couple of feet away and facing the
> house the house and only the third facing away from the house, how do I
> run an effective ground system?  Can I run a length of ground wire with
> rods every few feet around the house coming off the third leg?    I
> understand that normally on a guyed tower which is not near a structure,
> you would run radials from each leg.
>
> Most of the info I have reviewed (over a year's worth) concern guyed
> towers that are a good distance away from the house.  I did not have
> that option, so this is the only way I can have a tower.  Now I want to
> install a good lightening protection system.
>
> Any advice will be greatly appreciated, as always.  
>
> 73
>
> Mack 
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>  



_______________________________________________

See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.

_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk