[Elecraft] Is there a "grounding" Elmer on line?

Sun Mar 23 23:00:07 2003

Hi Charles,

I will provide you with the little information that I know.

"One question is , can the same ground system be used for general 
grounding and for lighting protection?"  YES. "but don't take my word for
it"

"Can a #10 solid copper wire tied to the base of the mast and run to a
5/8" grounding rod protect from lighting?"
YES, #10 OR SOLID COPPER WIRE AWG SIZES THAT ARE USED TO WIRE A HOUSE
WILL WORK. THE BIGGER IN DIAMETER THE BETTER, BUT DON'T EXAGGERATE THE
SIZE TO THE DIAMETER OF A WIENER DOG.  5/8" LENGTH IS NOT GOOD, DIAMETER
MAYBE.  GO TO YOUR LOCAL HARDWARE AND GET A SOLID COPPER GROUNDING ROD AT
8 FEET, APPROXIMATELY $10 - $15.

"Can the same rod be used for the shack ground?"
I BELIEVE SO, I COULD BE WRONG. "but don't take my word for it"  IF YOU
LIVE IN THE WETTER AREA OF THE NATION, YOU'LL ONLY NEED ONE GROUND ROD. 
SAME THING FOR DRYER AREAS, SUCH AS CALIFORNIA, BUT YOU'LL NEED TO WATER
YOUR GARDEN OF GROUND RODS TO INCREASE THE CONDUCTIVITY BETWEEN THE
GROUND ROD, AND THE EARTH.  IF YOU WANT MORE GROUNDING ASSURANCE, TAKE 4
GROUNDING RODS AND PUT THEM IN THE EARTH, MAKING A SQUARE SHAPE,
SEPARATED ABOUT 1-2 FEET APART, LAST PUT ONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SQUARE.
 TAKE A LARGE SOLDERING IRON, THAT CONDUCTS ALOT OF HEAT AND SOLDER A #9
OR #10 AWG WIRE ON ALL 4, CONNECTING EACH ONE TO EACH OTHER THEN CONNECT
A WIRE FROM EACH CORNER OF THE SQUARE TO THE CENTER GROUNDING ROD.  TAP
AT THE CENTER WITH YOUR SHACK GROUNDING WIRE.

Sincerely,

Daniel
kg4dni

On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 19:52:42 -0600 "Rosa" <[email protected]>
writes:
> Hello all,
> I am setting up my shack and have been confused about how to go 
> about grounding the shack and the antennas.  
> This weekend I put up a 20' tall  (homebrew) guyed mast (top of mast 
> is 38' off the ground and is about 5 feet above the tree line) on my 
> roof that will secure one end of a 102' G5RV for the K2 (#3346) I am 
> building and a Diamond HV7A on top for a Quad band Yaesu FT-8900R.  
> I need to be comfortable with the grounding and lightening 
> protection before I run the cables into the shack.

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