[TowerTalk] tiewrapping rebar

[Jim Jarvis]

Been following this thread with some curiosity.
Rebar is normally wire-wrapped, to hold it in place
until the concrete forms around it.

Somewhere in here, someone discussed GROUNDING the
rebar...and the term "Ufer ground" popped up.  I have
never heard the term, in 45 years, so don't know what's intended.

HOWEVER, the idea of running ground through the concrete
foundation of a tower is probably a bad one.  

Every broadcast tower I've worked with has gone to great
lengths to provide lightning dissipation grounds which route
strike currents around and away from the foundations.  

A million amperes flowing through the rebar will cause the
concrete to explode.  Then your tower comes down.  Might be
amusing for a few seconds, but the cleanup will hurt.  

If the idea is to provide a positively bonded wire cage, so
there's no incidental rectification from adjacent materials
within the foundation....I don't think I'd worry about it,
unless my antenna was known to be in a high RF field where 
rectification by subteranian metals might contribute noise
to reception on another antenna or band.  

n2ea