[TowerTalk] Earthing a tower

[ve4xt at mymts.net]

Another repetition of the exploding base myth. 

If concrete is so explosive, and such a poor conductor, why is it often used to assist with rod-earth connections?

As well, the very existence of the Ufer ground pretty much debunks the exploding base mythology. 

73,
Kelly

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 30, 2012, at 12:33, "Michael Mraz" <mike.n6mz at gmail.com> wrote:

> My dear old SK friend Al Caplan, who used to manage the Hy-Gain amateur division when it was part of Telex, was emphatic about proper grounding when I bought my HG-52 crankup. He said that lightning could split the concrete around the re-bar if the tower took a direct strike. It was a long time ago, but my recollection was that this nasty event actually occurred to some unfortunate ham who had to abandon the old foundation and install a new one in a different location.
> 
> 73  Mike  N6MZ
> 
> At 17:17 30-12-12, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
>> I have a friend who is a ham and is EE with 30+ years of antenna design experience.  He tells me emphatically, "concrete is not a good conductor." Given this, I'd be trying to not depend on concrete as part of a grounding system.  Rebar installed correctly in steel reinforced concrete is probably at least 2 inches under the surface of the concrete on any side, top, or bottom.  Weld plates installed when the concrete was wet (to give you something to anchor to) or bolts or other components set into the concrete are typically NOT in contact with the rebar cage inside the concrete (which is not a good conductor anyway.)  So again, it is better to not rely on the concrete to conduct.
>> 
>> 73 Patrick AF5CK
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk