[TowerTalk] Ground Rods in rocky soil

[BRENT BAUM]

I, too, would like to see some ideas. My soil is almost the same, except my 
QTH is on a prehistoric riverbed. My neighboring hams are on silt/loam 
soils. but my top soil is only about 4 to 6 inches deep then its cobble 
stone.
Brent, K7MEI


>From: Cqtestk4xs at aol.com
>To: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
>Subject: [TowerTalk] Ground Rods in rocky soil
>Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:50:06 EST
>
>After being spoiled by Florida's sugar sand in which you could dig  a hole
>for a base for holes and anchors by hand and drive a ground rod down  by
>"jetting" it, I now live on one of the biggest rock piles in the world.
>
>Most of the Big Island of Hawaii has solid lava rock.   Fortunately, my 
>area
>is a little bit better...a mix of clay, small rocks  and rocks up to a foot
>across, certainly not the kind of stuff easy to get  into.  Sometimes the 
>layer
>of pure clay is just a few inches thick, in  other places it can be ten 
>feet
>deep.  Ground rods and copper are  pretty expensive out here and I don't 
>want
>to experiment losing rods just a  couple of feet into the ground and 
>getting
>stuck at that depth.
>
>I know I can use a backhoe to dig the holes and will have one on the
>property to dig the cesspool, but what is the best way to go getting ground 
>rods  in?
>  I asked the locals at one of the radio club meetings and they weren't  
>much
>help.  Responses were.....most guys just drive it in a foot or so and  use
>radials.  Since the station will sit on a hill, I really don't feel too  
>secure
>putting the rod in only a foot, however I do plan on running the radials,
>since I know it will help.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>Bill K4XS/KH7XS
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