[TenTec] RFI and Orion

[Rob Atkinson, K5UJ]

Getting a long rod in the ground in a basement can be tricky.  For 8 feet 
you probably have to make a starter hole first with a shorter rod and pull 
it out so the long one can drop in a few feet with room for a pounding 
sleeve to move up and down on it.

A 30' ground strap is a pretty good antenna on 40 meters.

Rob/K5UJ


<<<I initially had an RFI problem with my Orion. My shack is in the 
basement,
and it's about a 30 foot run to the (2) 8 foot ground rods outside,
connected via 4 inch copper strap.

The tower is 110 feet away, with dipoles for antennas fed with 7/8 inch 
heliax.

I went ahead and drilled a hole in the floor, pounded down a 4 foot ground
rod, and tied that to the strap. This cured the problem completely.

I recently upgraded to 1500 watts with no trace of RFI whatsoever on any 
band.

Hope this helps.

73,

Mike
NM7X>>>

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