[TowerTalk] TowerTalk Digest, Vol 106, Issue 21

[Dale M. Schwartz]

WILSON: You are making us all Dumpster Divers <g>!  But your suggestions are great. Thanks.

Dale  
K4ROZ
 

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:59:26 -0400
From: "Wilson Lamb" <infomet at embarqmail.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Tower Grounding
To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Message-ID: <CF0BC180D76945B38E9122817C14CFD0 at wilsonspc>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

Good grief, we are HAMS.  We do things on the cheap, because it's fun and educational.  The leftover money can buy beer, ice cream, radio stuff. 
Frugality is power!

I looked at Georgia Copper a while back, and found them to  be outrageous, by my standards.  Yes, Cu is very high right now, so they are locked in to some extent and have to do what they have to do.  We DO NOT, however!

Talk to your electrician buddies.  There are often small bits of wire on construction sites and some contractors don't find it worthwhile to take it to the junkyard.  You don't need to find massive wire.  Just lay up some 12 or 14 ga to get what you want.  You can put it right in a split bolt and make a good connection.  You can solder it with a MAPP torch and silver solder, or a propane plumbers torch and regular solder.

Another good source is the power company.  When you see a line truck working, ask if they have a scrap of service entrance wire.  2/0 Al would make a fine ground jumper and there's lots of hardware for it at the home stores.  I've been given "scraps" 20' long, with three strands.

I think a split bolt can be used to hook to a round tower brace perfectly.

And don't forget your town dump.  Mine does not allow salvage, but many are OK with citizens repurposing trash!
And the attendants at some of the former become more sympathetic in return for a few greenstamps or some wheat soda!

When you see a new house going up, stop and sk if you can looko in theh dumpster/scrap heap.  Both contractors and power people will often leave stuff behind.

Remember, talikng on the radio is just the reward for BUILDING your station. 
The more resourceful the building, and the more you learn in the process, the greater the reward.  After all, you can get on the internet and operate a remotely controlled station and have no reward at all!

Wilson
W4BOH 



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