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Re: Radial Horizontal Ground Rods (RHGRs :-)
From: Gomez[SMTP:gomez-at-netherworld-dot-com]
Reply To: gomez-at-netherworld-dot-com
Sent: Friday, December 12, 1997 9:17 AM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: Radial Horizontal Ground Rods (RHGRs :-)
Adam Smith wrote:
> I am still open to suggestions on what other shallow-ground techniques
> might be worth while- maybe burying long and wide copper flashing strips?
The "Lineman's & Cableman's Handbook" found in most good libraries, has
some shallow-ground grounding techniques designed to achieve relatively
low ground impedances at 60Hz. Overdoing them a bit ought to make them
suitable for RF work.
Also, I know (from a friend of mine who is a station engineer) that AM
radio transmitters usually use a ground network consisting of both driven
grounds and a ground plane of heavy wire radials that are either burried
less than 12" or lying right on the top of the ground.
I have a passing fancy that a large ground plane might capacitively couple
to the ground making an effective connection at RF, although a poor one at
60Hz or DC. I suspect a combination of the two would be ideal. I've been
meaning to add a ground plane network to my ground rod network for some
time.
For pounding deep ground rods, even through boulders, I believe there are
penetrator tips, hardened-end ground rods, and thicker-than-0.5" rods
available. Check with your local electrical contractor's supply.
Also, to help pound 0.5" rods through rocks, slide them through a piece of
.75" pipe that is a few feet shorter than the rod. Have a friend steady the
assembly while you pound with a 5-10 pound sledge hammer from the top
of a ladder. The pipe helps keep the rod from buckling or bending.
Remove the pipe when necessary to keep going. Use a shorter pipe if the
rod still wants to bend when you get to <6 feet or so.
-Gomez
--
Gomez: certifiable mad scientist, extreme fetishist, fiction dabbler,
pyrophiliac, technomage, goth, faan, lighting designer, dominant
pervert, and juggler of labels... http://www-dot-netherworld-dot-com/~gomez