[SixClub] Station grounding

[Tom Peters]

Use flat braided tinned copper strip to connect to the rods, also to 
interconnect the ground rods. You can buy it, or in a pinch, use the braid 
from a lot of old coax of a large enough diameter. You can buy the 
grounding strap at a swap, though. Because of the skin effect, the diameter 
(wire size) of the ground conductor is less important than the surface area 
of it, hence the flat strap works better when draining a lightning strike. 
But even a strike miles away can kill your radio as the charge in the 
atmosphere seeks a ground. Lightning is composed of a whole symphony of 
frequencies and harmonics, but it has a large RF component, so skin effect 
is a factor.

If you're asking about how to ground radios inside the shack, all I know is 
the "single point ground" mantra. I'm not even sure how to achieve it. Lots 
of guys have a large copper strip across the back of the shack, with 
self-tapping screws run into it. I have a 30" chunk of copper quarter-inch 
plate I intend to saw a strip off, maybe two inches wide, for said purpose.

Solid mechanical connections are the key, obviously, since solder will melt 
off instantly in the case of a lightning strike or near miss.

That's all I know.

At 03:40 AM 2/26/2005 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi,
>   I have moved my radio shack from the first to the second floor of my 
> house. I was wondering about how to achieve proper station grounding . 
> What would be a good wire size and type? Do I have to achieve a certain 
> value with the old multimeter? I have two 8' copper clad ground rods 
> approx 16' apart right under the window that were just installed for this 
> project. Any hints or tips will be greatly appreciated.
>       Thanks,
>        Dale
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