[Cliffdwellers] grounding to water pipe

[Mike W. Burger]

Generally solid wires are supposed to work better than stranded for
ground connection. I am not sure it is a big deal.

Also you generally want to connect to the COLD water pipes. This is
to avoid interuptions such as the hot water heater.

One needs to consider the total length of the wire and pipe. Ground
is just that, the conductive surface of the earth. Anything in between
is an antenna element with standing waves just like any other antenna
element, but poorly insulated from the structure.

Generally waterpipe grounds work well when you can connect to them very
close to where they enter the physical dirt, earth ground. I also
like to use insulated wire for ground wires.

The best grounds I have ever used come from clamps I fashioned to go
on fire hydrants for portable use.

If you can get a wire out a window to a ground floor and connect to
a cold water pipe like an outdoor water faucet, you can use a tuner
to tune that to 1/2 wave multiple. Of course it will act as a top
fed vertical and radiate. I suspect that much of the effectiveness
credited to the magic cross field antennas is due to large vertical
ground wires running down the side of the buildings they are installed
on, making them just top loading circuites for the probable real radiator,
the long ground wire.

I use counterpoises in apartments for this reason and leave the cold
water pipes alone.  Plus focus on symetrical antennas that do not require
ground to work.

Info is on a website: www.chem.hawaii.edu/uham