[TowerTalk] Using old coax for ground wire

[jimlux]

Richards wrote:
> I don't think that is a good plan at all. That is not the right
> tool for the job, and the braid on the coaxial stranded and far
> too wimpy for the job. Why are you cutting corners on such
> an important thing as grounding?
> 
> Many instructions for towers and antennas say not to
> use braided or stranded wire, but only use thick, solid,
> copper wire.



Off hand comment: "many instructions" doesn't necessarily mean they're 
right, especially if they are fourth or fifth hand repetitions of some 
original source that was either wrong from the start or has been 
overtaken by newer information, etc.

But in this case, you're pretty close to right.  For NEC style "bonding 
of the grounds" you need AWG 6, 8, 10, or 17 (depending on the kind of 
wire and where it is).. however NEC bonds are NOT for RF and NOT for 
lightning dissipation.

The lightning folks use a variety of sizes, depending on the 
application, 2/0 and 4/0 stranded is fairly common (not 4/0 welding 
cable with the zillion tiny strands).


> 
> Example:
> 
> Rohn Products LLC R-AGK1G 1 Year  Kit includes
> 3 - 8' copper ground rods, 3 ground rod clamps & 45'
> No. 4 tinned copper ground wire.       30.00
> 
> So... number 4 gauge solid copper wire, and only $30.
> That coax braid hardly matches up to this does it?


Is that a current price?  (I ask, because I bought some bare AWG8 a few 
months ago, and it was about 50c/foot.  AWG4 is more than twice the 
cross sectional area, so I'd expect it to be in the dollar a foot range)


Jim