[TowerTalk] Conductive Cement

[EUGENE SMAR]

TT:

     I finally got around to reading some of my trade mags today and found
an article on horizontal ground conductors (as opposed to ground rods
connected by wire(s)).  I'm trying to track down a source of reprints for
those TT'ers interested in same.

     However, the most intriguing aspect of the article is a material called
"conductive cement."  A couple of inches of this material is poured over the
ground conductor (#2 AWG typically) which has been placed at the bottom of a
2-4 foot deep trench, then covered with regular earth fill up to grade
level.  The material supposedly cures like cement (after appropriate
watering from rains, I suppose) and thereby affords mechanical and corrosion
protection to the conductor.

      The major alleged benefit, however, is that the material is
conductive.  This creates a wide-area buried conductor that offers low
ground resistance vs the single bare, buried conductor.  Also allegedly, the
ground conductor doesn't have to be as long as a bare wire to provide an
adequate low-resistance connection for communications towers.

     The material's URL is: http://www.thomasregister.com/olc/gsi/advan.htm
.  I'm awaiting a call from the author of the article (and the company's
sales rep, BTW.)  I'll post pricing info, sources, etc. to this reflector
when I find out more.


73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F



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