[R-390] Grounds

[rbethman]

I'd suggest that you NOT have a lightning arrestor between the roof and 
the ground braid.

The metal roof will, at the top of the second story, tend to be a 
lightning attractant.  Gounds for use to dissipate lightning strikes 
SHOULD have any necessary bends be a SMOOTH radius.

Standard electrical ground rods are indeed at LEAST 8 feet long, steel 
cored copper, brand named originally COPPERWELD.  The strrel core is to 
allow driving the rod into soils that aren't always easy to drive into - 
like the clay and shale here in Virginia.

Minimum of four ground rods, preferably ALL bonded together below the 
surface of the soil with at least 1/4" copper conductor.

In a power plant or substation we ALWAYS used a "grid" of 500 MCM bare 
copper between all grounds.

This will provide a Great counterpoise AND a very good ground for the 
home itself.

Bob - N0DGN
> I'm not in that position at the moment, thank goodness, but I'd think
> that the more copper straps or braids you could put down to ground rods,
> the better. All of them loop-and-bend-free, of course, to keep the
> inductance as low as possible.
>
> Do please let us know what your results are, as you continue in this
> investigation. 
>
>   

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|             AM Amateur Radio Operator    NØDGN                   |   
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| Bob Bethman                \\\|///     " The absence of a danger |
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