[TowerTalk] Ground resistance

[Gary Schafer]

Connecting ground rods in a circle does no good. Lightning will tend to flow
in a straight line. If it is coming down a leg of the tower to a ground rod
it will follow that line out away from the tower. It will not suddenly make
a sharp turn at the point where the circle connection is to go over to
another ground rod connected via the circle. That turn represents a large
inductance and will present a high impedance.
You would be better off to use that wire to make another radial than to make
a circle connection.

73
Gary  K4FMX

> 
> TT and John,
> 
> Thanks John - that is very interesting.  I have 9 (nine) 8 foot ground
> rods around the base of the tower.  I do NOT have them connected with a
> large outer circle but may do that.  I do have them all connected to the
> tower and groups of 3 are connected to each other with bare # 4 cooper
> wire - solid:  1 ground rod (8 feet) at each leg of the tower with 2
> more connected to each of those for a total of 9 ground rods.  I then
> have a large wire going from one of those ground rods about 35 feet over
> to the house electrical entrance and connect to the ground rod there -
> and during the length of that 35 feet I have 3 (three) 6 foot ground
> rods spaced evenly.