Topband: Shunt-fed Tower Ground Ring Insulators

[Gene Smar]

Gents:

     When I constructed my Trylon tower in 2001, I also installed a
shunt-feed wire up the side for 160M.  My RF radial system consisted of
about 11 #18 insulated wires in the dirt surrounding the tower base.  I
recently purchased additional wire to augment those initial few and
hopefully improve my tower's performance on Topband.

     The radial wires are mechanically connected directly to the three tower
leg #2 solid copper ground wires with small SS hose clamps.  I also
installed a #2 wire "lasso" that rests in a circle atop the concrete base
between the tower legs.  The straight piece of the "lasso" wire connects to
one of the Harger ground clamps to which the tower leg grounds also connect.
Up until now the only connection to this ground ring has been the ground
lead from my shunt capacitor box.  I hope to change that by connecting my
yet-to-be-installed - and hopefully numerous - radial wires onto this ring.


     Now to the point.  When I built the tower and installed the ground
ring, I insulated the ring from the concrete pad with PVC T's.  I threaded
six 1/2 inch T's onto the ground ring wire before I soldered the ring
together.  I drove a small wood screw through six 1/2 inch PVC caps and into
six untreated wood blocks.  I then snapped a block and cap onto the bottom
of each T and arranged them evenly around the circumference of the ground
ring underneath the tower.  Yesterday I replaced the untreated wood with
treated wood.  

     In your opinion, was insulating the ground ring from the concrete
unnecessary?  If not, and you believe insulating the wire might be helpful,
I'd be glad to send photos of the renewed installation.  


73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F