Warren:
The key to what your electrician friend said is <I have used this process
to weld bonding wires to steel columns in high rise buildings.> Amateur
towers are not made from thick steel members like building steel columns, but
from thin wall tubing. You would probably damage the structural integrity of a
typical ham tower by using Cadweld or other exothermic process to attach ground
wires to the tower members. The heat would destroy the mechanical strength of
the member at the joint.
I suggest you use a SS clamp for these connections, as you had planned.
You will have to ensure that the copper ground wires (assuming you're using
copper) do not come into direct contact with the aluminum of the tower legs. I
believe Champion Radio Products sells SS hose clamps that have a SS tab that
hold the copper ground wire against the rest of the SS hose clamp, and not
directly onto the tower member.
GL es 73 de
Gene Smar AD3F
>
> Greetings TTalkers,
>
> I going to purchase wet stamped drawings for an AN Wireless Tower topped by
> a pair of
> OptiBeams. My grounding plan has been discussed by my home
> designer/architect with
> the City Engineer. I had noted that I would probably use stainless steel
> clamps to connect
> my radial field to the base of the tower. My electrician commented as below:
>
> "Warren,
> I have been reading your emails and just wanted you to know that
> exothermic
> welding CAN join copper to steel and aluminum. I have used this process
> to
> weld bonding wires to steel columns in high rise buildings.
> /s/"
>
> I am no master chemist, but I thought that exothermic welding actually
> melted/bonded the copper into one integral mass. Seems to me that
> what he has done, as stated, is to just create a mass of copper stuck
> very tightly to some steel/aluminum tower which would sooner or later
> deteriorate.
>
> Comments please,
>
> Warren; W5KKW
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> 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.
>
> _______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________
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.
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