[TowerTalk] Ground Rods

[jimlux]

JoeCoolDXer wrote:
> It's interesting how certain requirements creep into specifications possibly just because it's possible to do them.
> Recognize if lightning gets into a home it seems to have no trouble traveling through screwed 
> and friction (plug-in) connections, sharp bends, and ultimately zapping lots of stuff. 
> 
> If CADwelds and OneShots are important in ground rod connections, why then, for example, is it not also required 
> to weld all those electrically unreliable bolted joints between tower sections...??
> 
> Don N7EF


different sets of rule makers for one thing.

You don't have to have exothermic welds on grounding systems.  Listed 
compression clamps will work (and I suspect a bolted connection for a 
tower would too.. bolted connections work for structural steel grounding)

The rules on bending of lightning conductors are not because of the 
impedance or inductance, (the inductance of a half turn 6" in diameter 
is tiny, compared to the resistance of the conductor.. a whole turn is 
only 0.3 uH, and a half turn is less than half.  The 9" of wire would 
actually be about 0.1uH.)

It's because of mechanical forces from the magnetic field (which is 
technically related to inductance).