[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] Fwd: Boat RF Ground plans, plus do you know if anyone has a battery cable crimper and cable cutter that I can use?

Fri May 28 21:29:14 EDT 2021

I have had success using vice grips on larger wires for crimping. Some have
followed that up with careful hammering.
Note the word CAREFUL.

regards....

On Thu, May 27, 2021 at 1:32 PM Ian <iann8ik at gmail.com> wrote:

> Anyone have a crimping tool to handle 4ga battery cable?
> 73, Ian N8IK
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Philip Brown <phil at pjb3.com>
> Date: Wed, May 26, 2021 at 9:22 PM
> Subject: Boat RF Ground plans, plus do you know if anyone has a battery
> cable crimper and cable cutter that I can use?
> To: Ian Keith <n8ik at arrl.net>, Don (KI4D) <don.ki4d at gmail.com>
> Cc: Philip J Brown III <phil at pjb3.com>
>
>
> Hello Ian,
>
> (Don,  I’m CC’ing as an FYI… since you’re clearly interested in everything
> RF ! :-)     )
>
> Do you know if anyone in the club has a battery cable crimper that I can
> borrow?
> Is there any way that you could pose the question to the membership?
>
>
> I’m planning to run some 4 Gauge tinned copper wires in both the boat and
> the 4Runner, and once I crimp and heat-shrink the cables
> I’d have no use for a crimper or a cable cutter of that size…  not to
> mention that this project is starting to get **expensive**  !!  :-)
>
>
> Here’s the update on my plans for an RF ground for the boat, and also for
> my 4Runner.
>
> *Any feedback from you, Don or an Elmer would be warmly welcomed.  :-)*
>
>
> I found a part on craig’s list for $45 and bought it today — New old
> stock…. basically someone bought it and never used.
> Westmarine sells the same part new for $109.   The manufacturer claims it
> has the same effect as 12 sqft of copper foil.
>
> It’s cool.  It’s extremely pourous bronze that is specially bonded together
> to act as an electrical and RF ground.  You bolt it to the bottom
> of your boat, and connect the ground wire to a gold plated bolt using gold
> plated nuts that are provided.
>
> It also protects the boat from lightning strikes by offering a high-current
> path to ground.
> It has some type of silver conductive paste that’s dried out in the box for
> my unit… I could probably use a small amount if anyone has a tube of that
> as well.
>
> The guy who I bought mine from said that his boat had a lighting strike
> while at the dock, and while it destroyed his dynaplate and fried his
> electronics,
> it didn’t blow-out his through-hull transducer, which he said is a common
> problem that leaves a hole in the hull that sinks many boats.
>
> This is pretty cool, and all new to me, but I find it exciting!
>
> I’m planning to use one of these
> as my “common RF ground” point for the boat, and another one for the
> 4Runner.
> I’m planning to run a  4 gauge copper tinned cable from this ground to the
> dynaplate on the boat, and to the vehicles body near the battery ground
> on the 4Runner.
>
> From Westmarine:
>
>
>    1. Marine Electronics <https://www.westmarine.com/marine-electronics> /
>    2. Marine Communication <
> https://www.westmarine.com/marine-communication>
>     /
>    3. VHF Accessories <https://www.westmarine.com/vhf-accessories> /
>    4. Grounding <https://www.westmarine.com/grounding>
>
> [image: Dynaplate, Bonding Use]larged view of picture, opens dialimages
> carousel, showing slide 1 of 1
> GUEST <https://www.westmarine.com/guest>–Dynaplate, Bonding Use
> 0 stars, 0 reviews, skips to reviews
> $109.99
>
>
> Model # 377010 | Mfg # 4008
> SpecsDynaplate, Bonding Use
> NameValue
> Type Ground Plates
> Product Overview
>
> Bronze grounding plates replace yards of copper foil. Looks like a solid
> bronze plate, but actually a porous matrix of bronze spheres, presenting
> the same effective electrical surface as a much larger expanse of copper
> foil. Use as electronic ground for SSBs, Lorans and ham transceivers, or as
> a ground reference in bonding systems. Includes gold-plated bronze flathead
> fasteners and silver contact paste for superior conductivity. Plates have
> tapered ends and rounded edges for reduced turbulence.
>
> Standard Dynaplate
> Part No. 4006
> Dimensions: 6.0"W x 2.0" H x 0.50" D
> Mounting Holes: 2-1/2" center to center
> Mounting Hardware:1-3" Gold plated bolt and nut, 1-3" Bronze bolt and nut,
> 3 copper washers
> Weight: 3 Lbs.
>
>
>    - Use for basic bonding and grounding
>    - Improves performance of electronics and reduces RF interference
>    - Offers the best path for hull bonding without long runs of copper foil
>    - Equivalent to 12 square feet of copper foil
>    - Provides a direct, low resistance path for improved lighting
> protection
>    - Deters electrolysis and galvanic corrosion
>    - Sintered porous bronze sphere construction for maximum conductivity in
>    a compact size
>    - Low drag, non fouling shape
>    - Easy to install
>    - Easy to clean with wire brush
>    - Conforms to ABYC standards
>
> From the installation instructions:
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