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RE: INTERFERENCE

Quoting Phil Mason:

 PM> Well, it seems that I have not implemented any of the above  
 PM> points which you mentioned <RF ground, line filters, bypass  
 PM> caps, RF chokes>, so I shall have plenty of work to do... 
 PM> (maybe I'll wait until I build a bigger one)

At your power level you can start out with a single hard copper
water pipe or copper clad steel ground rod buried in earth to the 
height of a man. You are only running only a couple of hundred
watts. Plan out your ground area properly, look for depressed
ground that stays (or is kept) moist. High clay, low sand and
rock, soils are desirable. Look around the draining areas of
house foundations, sumps, etc.. If you have enough room you can
add another ground rod or two later. Space ground rods out by
their lengths, drive them in, then connect them with something
like tinned copper ground strap, multi-strand bare copper wire,
copper tubing, metal strips, etc. that may be trenched down below
the sod. All connections and conductors must be heavy with lots
of surface area in contact with subsoils or water.

Be inventive when grounding. Landscaping that may need attention 
can frequently double as an excuse to improve your RF ground if
simple steps are taken such as: lining low areas and holes with
conductive mesh before filling, connecting retaining wall bracing
rods together with copper wire, aluminum flower borders can be
connected, galvinized steel culverts, metal water tanks, metal
mesh can be thrown in ponds, strap or mesh can be sunk in creeks
or buried in drainage ditches, iron basement drain pipes can be
wire brushed and connected, strap can be fished down sewer pipes,
and others abound. Check your RF ground with a VOM to ensure it
is not common to your house wiring, gas pipe, gutters and
downspouts, telephone ground, cable TV coax ground, etc.. 

A dedicated RF high-voltage ground is the starting point on any
Tesla coil system, and the place to constantly look towards
upgrading as you increase power levels. Tesla rated grounds need
to be very heavy, with a very high-Q, low impedance pathway(s),
to obtain maximum performance from any coil system. 

Richard Quick


... If all else fails... Throw another megavolt across it!
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12