Re: Ground system for outside operation: Counterpoise?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <davep-at-quik-dot-com>

> Why bother?  Just get a six foot grounding rod from your local Home Depot,
> pound it into the ground, and attach a thick braided wire from it to your RF
> ground on the tesla's secondary.  No need for fancy or heavy grounds.  Sure,
> a lot of people on this group think you need some serious ground with
> serious ribbon type grounding cable, but I operate my coils (currently up to
> 5kVA) with a simple set-up shown above.  Also, one coiler I know runs his
> coils (up to 20kVA) using only a 12 AWG solid ground cable to a similar rod
> and that guy is getting some serious output - no problems there.


	Have any tests been run with a BETTER ground?


	The necessary ground complexity depends on local soil
  	conditions.  What works in one place may or may not
	in another.

	That Said:
	A full on counterpoise, as outlined below, while
	admirable maybe overkill, for may applications...


>>I'm wondering how well a counterpoise type ground would work as

>>the main RF ground for outside coil operation? I'm thinking

>> of something very similar to counterpoise ground used for

>>amateur radio vertical antenna installations.
	It would work nicely.  Likely to be 'overkill'.


>>Something like a counterpoise roughly 30' in dia with 30-50

>>radials buried just beneath the sod?
>>The beauty of this for me is that I'm planning to install a

>>ground plane vertical antenna for HF Ham operation in the

>>same spot I'm thinking would be a good site for  outside coil

>>operation. Thus, the counterpoise may serve dual purposes.
	IF the counterpoise is going in anyway, i would use it

	for both WITH DUE CAUTION that strays from the
	Tesla system not find their way to the Ham gear.


>>I've got a hunch that such a large counterpoise ground may

>> be superior to multiple ground rods driven into the the

>> ground for coil operation,

	It will be.  Its not clear that the advantage
	will be significant, possibly not worth such
	elaboration solely for coiling.  IF the counterpoise
	exists ANYWAY (or will) seems reasonable to use it.
	(might compare both sorts of ground...)

	Ham freqs are higher, and purposes modestly different:
	what is needed for ham work may not be required for
	Tesla system.

>> though I can't offer specific theory in the here and now. One

>>notion I'm thinking is that capacitive coupling to earth may be

> quite substantial.

	best
	dwp

...the net of a million lies...
	Vernor Vinge
There are Many Web Sites which Say Many Things.
	-me