I am starting on a rf grounding system pending purchase of a hf transceiver.
I have read everything I can about grounding systems, including FEMA. One thing that is never mentioned is, do ground rods have to be rods? I can purchase hard copper rectangular bars at half the price of a rod. I am using solid copper as my yard is red clay and very acidic. Pulled a ground rod out near my shed and the copper was gone along with 1/3 of the steel.
I see nothing in the NEC about having to be a specific form. Salem Electric has not gotten back with me.
Hmm interesting, are you doing an RF ground or electric ground? Is thei for a verticle or for what? A little more info please. Yes, you can use the solid copper ground buried about 8 feet, or 2 or 3 buried a few feet apart and connected a couple of feet down. Now, do you have it connected to the house ground? That is required to prevent a loop in the system. Let me know, I'll try to help. 73 Russ Abbey KG4MAV
U.S. Navy retired, woodworker extraordinaire, student, avid reader, Enjoying life! Member ARES Floyd County, Floyd amateur Radio Society, RVARC, New River ARC, Franklin County ARC, American Legion, DAV life, PVA life, Navy Together We Served.com, ARRL, NRA Life, VSSA,
Russ, it is a convoluted tale! I want to have my electrical service buried to remove its diagonal trail across the back yard. This will require a ground rod placed at the service entrance. Right now it is connected to the cold water supply pipe. I do not plan any vertical antennas as the neighbor's children use my back yard as a playground. I allow this as their back yard is very small. The current plan uses a back room for the radios. It is the NE corner of the house. The electrical service will come in at the NW corner, about 80 feet apart. Now, I can run a low impedance copper strap from the radios to the electrical ground. This would be ok for lightening, but lousy for rf. Also, with the fall in my property, the room is two stories above ground! It just gets better and better! I will bring a plot diagram to our next meeting and show you graphically what I need to do.
80 feet will need a couple of ground rods. If you're at 2 stories then we have a real problem. You would have to break the ground strap in 2 and I don't have any idea how to do that. Unless it is less the a 1/4 wave on the antenna you're useing? Let me think about this. Also get hold of John Garrett WD6FLL, he has a lot of info on grounding. He hangs out on the 444.173 T=103.5, I think you two would hit it off real good. Let me know if I can help with anything and I look forward to seeing your drawing of the house and yard. :)
72 Russ Abbey KG4MAV U.S. Navy retired, woodworker extraordinaire, student, avid reader, Enjoying life! Member ARES Floyd County, Floyd amateur Radio Society, RVARC, New River ARC, Franklin County ARC, American Legion, DAV life, PVA life, Navy Together We Served.com, ARRL, NRA Life, VSSA,
