[TowerTalk] Radials

[ersmar@comcast.net]

Dudley:

     Belts-and-suspenders.  That's what I did, FWIW.  On my tower I installed about 135 feet of #2 solid tinned copper ground wire buried about eighteen inches.  I welded this wire to twelve 8-foot long copper clad ground rods.  These rods were driven four around the tower (to which the three legs were connected) and one at the single point ground panel outside my ground-floor shack wall.  The remaining rods were spaced at sixteen foot intervals along the unequal length radials.  

     When I added the shunt-feed to the tower, I added seven ground surface mounted (i.e., in the grass) #18 insulated radial wires.  Five are about 100 feet long and two are 35 feet l ong.  One of these shorter radials also connects to the steel fence wire of the corrale fence around the back yard.  (In case you're wondering - because it was there.)  I used a split bolt connector for this connections.  

      I have frequently thought about disconnecting one set of grounds then the other and seeing how the tower behaves on 160M.  Unfortunately, I don't have a round tuit yet.  (Did I say that right?)

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F

 > Gary,
>    I am now officially confused.  Suppose I built a vertical and ran 40 0.2
> wavelength rf radials of insulated #14 wire along the top of the ground.
> Suppose I had a single ground rod near to and connected to the radials near
> the vertical.  How would you augment this installation to provide good
> lightning protection?  Wouldn't it still require a handful of heavy gauge
> radials with ground rods along their length?  
> 
> Dudley - WA1X
> 
> 
> 
> 
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