[TowerTalk] Ground wire

[Jim Lux]

Jim Miller wrote:
> I need to run ground from my antenna entrance panel to the house
> ground location.  Will I get in trouble using two or three runs of
> left over three wire #8 cord instead of going out and buying some
> single wire #4 or whatever?  I know, it should be at the same
> location, but it isn't .

"in trouble" has lots of meanings.

First, 3 strands of #8 isn't the same cross sectional area as a #4  (the 
  3 #8s are slightly larger in cross section, total, than the #4), so 
that should be ok.

Assuming you've bonded all the conductors together, so it "looks" like a 
single conductor, philosophically that works.

"the code" requires a variety of sizes, depending on what it's hooked to.

For antennas and masts, the bonding is not smaller than: #10 copper, #8 
Aluminum, or #17 copper clad steel or bronze  (810-15, 810-21)

For CATV, same as antennas/masts

for telephone, AWG14 or larger copper

for ground rods or other separate grounding systems, AWG6 or larger used 
to bond the two grounding systems together.