[TowerTalk] Ground System? W8JI input.....please

John Frazier fraz1 at bellsouth.net
Mon Aug 2 12:13:44 PDT 2010


OK folks......have at it.

I have read all of the info on ground systems I can find.  I have received input from one of the most respected frequenters of this reflector, but am seeking additional input.

The conditions here at my QTH make it very difficult to achieve a decent grounding system.

Here's the short story. By choice, I live on a golf course; thus restricted antennas.  I use coax fed wires between pine trees at 70 +/- feet.  The coax comes straight down from the antenna to ground level and then through 25 feet of BuryFlex to the station ground rod.  This is a 5/8 inch , 8 foot long copperclad rod buried to its full length.  An ICE suppresser is mounted directly to the rod using a very good clamp, conductive paste, and 4 inches of 4 AWG copper wire.  

Now the real bad stuff.  I have a 23 foot run of #6 copper wire to the shack buss.  I'm on the second floor so that's the way it is.  I then have a 65 foot run of 6 AWG copper wire from the station ground rod to the utility ground.  The utility ground is not too shabby.  It consists of three 10 foot 3/4 inch copperclad rods spaced 16 feet apart in a delta config.  The rods are tied together with 1/0 copper wire to the utility meter buss.

Sooooooo....is this thing worth a darn or not?

Thanks and 73.....John W4II



More information about the TowerTalk mailing list