[Lowfer] Not a RotoHammer, but a good pilot hole starter

[JD]

>>> On mountaintops like that, or even worse, they cut a trench about 12" 
>>> deep,
lay a heavy copper wire into it and pour in a slurry of bentonite.  The
results often prove far superior to any amount of rods. >>>

True.  Ground rods have significant limitations, especially when dealing 
with RF or lightning currents, both of which most frequently confine 
themselves to within a foot or two of the surface anyway.  Lowering ground 
resistance sometimes becomes a goal that takes on a life of its own, with 
people obsessing over ways to attain a few ohms lower resistance at DC or 60 
Hz, while disregarding the physics of the actual phenomenon they're trying 
to manipulate.  Deeps ground rods and well casings are not necessarily 
beneficial.  The technique Kurt describes is really helpful for lightning 
protection on a mountaintop that has only a thin skin of soil.  (On one that 
is bare rock, a sufficiently large grid of bare wire in contact with the 
rock will collect and distribute most of the charge adequately.)

About soil conductivity enhancers...I've found coke breeze to be very 
effective in commercial installations, but I'm not exactly fond of working 
with it myself.  It sounds as if bentonite might be a better choice for our 
hobby applications, and I'd like to give it a try.

What's the best type of place to find some, though?  The stores I've 
contacted locally thus far don't seem to know what I'm talking about.  I 
can't see myself buying a trailer load of kitty litter sacks for my upcoming 
160m ground field, and end up burying all the who-knows-what other 
ingredients beyond the bentonite itself.