[TowerTalk] FW: Tower Grounds

[Clay Autery]

Yep... the stamps are there if the rod is compliant... which is why the 
code says you can't cut the rods in half...  the stamp is only on ONE 
end of the rod so it reduces cheating.

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G
MONTAC Enterprises
(318) 518-1389

On 10/17/2017 10:15 AM, Grant Saviers wrote:
> When I upgraded my tower grounds, I bought rods at a commercial 
> electrical supply house and Home Depot.  The 5/8" rods looked a bit 
> small and a caliper showed them undersized.  I then checked some 1/2" 
> I had on the shelf, and they were undersized also.  I found this article
>
> http://www.galvanelectrical.com/pdf/groundrodmarkingcompliance.pdf
>
> I have never seen a "code compliant" stamped ground rod.  Also, I have 
> no way to measure Cu plating thickness, but would assume it was 
> cheated on as well.  Probably they all came from China where 1" = 19mm.
>
> One thing I did learn in measuring the results was that #2  wire 
> contributed significantly to reducing the DC resistance of a leg (35' 
> #2 plus 2x 8' x "5/8" rods). (some earlier rods were #8 connected).  
> Since #2 is 0.258" diameter (mine is USA #2) and 5/8 rods were about 
> 0.58" the circumference ratio is 2.24.  So 35' of #2 solid earth 
> contact area is about equal to 2x 8' x 5/8- rods. Of course buried 6" 
> the field distribution is a bit odd, but at DC it helped to get near 
> to the Motorola 5 ohm target.  Also, I'm confident the #2 copper will 
> be there after the copper flash on the rods is long gone.
>
> Additional reasons to use a Ufer.
>
> Grant KZ1W