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GROUNDING

 * Original msg to: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com

 > From: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com
 > To: richard.quick-at-slug-dot-org
 > Subject: Grounding

 ES> Richard,

 ES> I am using an 8.0 ft. copper (copper clad over steel I think
 ES> considering how hard I hit on it to drive it into the        
 ES> ground) rod that is buried about 7.0 ft.  I am using #6      
 ES> copper ground wire into the RF coil ground.  Ed

This is what I call a "code" ground. "Code" grounds are equiv-
alent to the requirements of most modern building codes for
household 60 cycle grounding on the neutral wire, and some
lightning protection.

Dedicated RF grounds for Tesla systems can never be too heavy. 
A serious coil (such as yours) requires a serious ground.

Three of these copper clad steel ground rods driven in a row,
spaced 6 feet apart, and connected with the #6 stranded or 1"
copper strap would be my minimum grounding recommendation for
this system. I stress minimum. Even at low power your existing
ground is going to be overwhelmed easily. A healthy daylong soak
with a trickling garden hose will help some, but in the long run
high performance and sharp tuning (as opposed to "mushy" tuning)
can only be achieved with a heavier RF grounding system.   

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