[TowerTalk] What's a "Good Grounding System"??

[Bob Otto]

Hello Jerry,

Just a postscript to my previous on tower grounding.  I wasn't able to
make a Ufer ground on my tower (base put in last week).  I did make
about four connections using clamps to various places on the rebar
cage.  Next I used #4 solid copper from each clamp to a 6' copper clad
ground rod placed in the very bottom of the hole.  I made sure that
all the "wire ties" used to tie the horizontal rebar to the vertical
rebars were tight so there would be a good connection.  The best
situation would be to weld the connections but that's not practical.
I've read a bit on this and even Polyphaser says that most of the time
the wire ties make a sufficient connection.   Lastly, I also put a
clamp on each tower leg rebar and ran #4 solid copper to the same
ground rod in the bottom of the hole.  My tower base hole was 14' deep
as it was on the side of a hill, and was 4' in diameter.

Sorry to add this after the fact.

I've attached pictures of the base next to the home I'm building. I
don't think the list will pass the pictures on (not sure why!?) but
you'll have it.  The angled room with all the picture windows is the
"shack".


73's from.......

Bob Otto
N8NGA@one.net
Cincinnati, Ohio

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Thursday, October 26, 2000, 10:03:28 PM, you wrote:

JK> Bob, AA0CY/3 posted:   "
JK> Again, as has been emphasized by other posters, a good
JK> ground system (and of course there too there are differing
JK> opinions on what constitutes a good grounding system) is the
JK> most important aspect of lightning portection."

JK> Everyone probably already knows the basics... ground each chassis to a
JK> common station ground buss, turn the antenna switch to the "common"
JK> (grounded) center position when not in use or storms are in the area, tie
JK> the station ground and every other ground on the property to the service
JK> (AC) ground (usually the ground rod directly under the electric meter),
JK> stuff like that.
JK> (Maybe there's some disagreement with all that?) But this reflector concerns
JK> towers, so.....

JK> Assume a 60 foot tower on a big chunk of concrete with a rebar cage inside.
JK> Exactly what would constitute a "good ground".... or more particularly, a
JK> "good enough ground" to handle whatever lightning strike might hit the
JK> tower, and keep it from destroying anything...how many ground rods, how
JK> deep? Anything else? What about "lightning arrestors", "surge protectors",
JK> and the like.... any good?

JK> Jerry K3MGT







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