On Apr 18, 6:14*am, "Michael" wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message

...





Michael wrote:
"Michael" wrote in message
...
Hiya...

Hiya...

Got the 6' solid brass ground rod and 24' ground strap today from ICE.
We have clear weather forecast here for Saturday, so I plan to pound it
into the ground. *I'll mount the balun to the foundation low to the
ground and connect the ground strap. *I ordered 100' spool of antenna
wire and a 100' length of coax. *If they arrive in the next day, I'll be
able to put it up Saturday along with the balun and ground spike. *Then I
can test it out Saturday night. *If I don't get the antenna wire and
other goodies by the weekend, it will have to wait another week for
completion and testing. * I'm glad I also have the 102' G5RV to test it
against. *That antenna is currently laying on myroofin the shape of a
sigma. *I plan to leave it as is.

I'd say the 6' brass rod into the earth is a better ground then the brick
chimney, but I don't think it will out perform the whole uncooked
chicken.

I'm still not sure if I should also ground the radio in the shack. *The
radio is on the second floor in the house, so any ground wire would have
to be about *75' long to reach the spike, unless I just ground it to the
iron radiator... or a chicken. *I use a six receiver, six radio MFJ-
1700C switch to go between antennas and my two radios. *The new properly
grounded inverted L will always be hooked up to the switch along with
both my radios and all antennas. *Given that one antenna is well grounded
and all items are hooked up to the same switch via shielded PL-259, will
the other radios and antennas benefit from that one single grounded
antenna ???

Forgive me for being a total retard here... My first ever antenna was a
roll of aluminum foil and an alligator clip :-) I'm making some
progress...

Mike D
Ground the switch.

To what ??? Given that the switch will already be connected to the PL-259
connection of the well grounded sloping L antenna's shielded coax, hooking
up another wire to the switch from the outside ground rod will be redundant,
no ??? *The best I can do is put a ground strap from the switch to an iron
radiator in the shack.

Think that will be any help ???

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Michael,

Install a 'separate' 8-foot Copper-Clad Steel Ground Rod very
close to your Radio Shack for your Radio Shack's Ground.
Use a very Heavy AWG Wire from the Ground Rod to your
Radios and Receivers.

iane ~ RHF

In article
,
RHF wrote:


SNIP

Michael,

Install a 'separate' 8-foot Copper-Clad Steel Ground Rod very
close to your Radio Shack for your Radio Shack's Ground.
Use a very Heavy AWG Wire from the Ground Rod to your
Radios and Receivers.

Go sit on a ground rod news group retard.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

On Apr 18, 2:32*pm, "Michael" wrote:

* * * Three Star Snip * * *

- I already have a di-pole. *A 102' G5RV on my roof. *
- I'm building a second antenna because my current
- 150' long wire has fallen apart on the roof after being
- up there for three years.

For many Shortwave Radio Listners (SWLs) 3-Years is a
fair amount of time for an SWL Antenna to be in the Air.

Usually at least once a Year you should Inspect all the
Connections {Electro-&-Mechanical} and the Antenna
Wire Element(s) and Rigging Ropes.

- I have an ICE-180 balun that I can take off of that mess,
- so I figured I'd use that in the construction of something
- that can make use of it, like an inverted L.

That is a good 'practical' idea. The ICE 180 will get a little
dirty and weathered on the outside but inside it should be
As-Good-as-New.

-*So far I just spent money on a new 6' ground rod and a
- 20 buck spool of antenna wire. *Under 50 bucks total.

That is a reasonable investment in another Build-Your-Own
{DIY} Shortwave Radio Listners (SWLs) Antenna.

-*Why the hell wont I get an effective ground here with
- a six foot ground rod ??? *

It should work very good if you 'prepare' the Hole and the
Soil before you install the Ground Rod.

- I always thought the ground here in this area had
- great conductivity. *That is why there are so many
- MW transmitters here.

Telamon got your's {Michaels} and MSG's Replies mixed-up.
Michael [ md1966 @ opton line .net ] ~ Michael
MSG ] ~ Michael

Both of you at times Sign your Replies "Michael"
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...7619564b561e99
"You might have soft soils, but in my area the clay
is thick, deep and often hard as rock.
Michael"

Your 6-Foot Brass Ground Rod should do OK.

- BTW... My G5RV works very well from 5 megahertz to
- 10 megahertz. *Is isn't so good below of above that.

The G5RV sounds like : It does what it is Designed to do.

-*My 150' long wire was great for anything above 10 megahertz.

Glad to hear that.

-*Unbelievably, it was also very good for 3 megahertz to 4 megahertz.

Nice to hear that too.

-*I have no idea why.

Me neither.

-*The way I had that one grounded was, I'm sure,
- a poor way to do it. *I have a 12 gauge wire going
- from the radio, up on the roof to the ICE-180 balun's
- ground, and then back down the house to a ground
- rod in the earth. *

You Do What : You Can Do.

- The current ground rod is only 3' long iron bar.
- Don't ask me how, but it worked.

What Works : WORKS !

- Michael

Michael [MD1966] :

How is the New Inverted "L" Antenna Going ?

~ RHF

On Apr 20, 12:28*am, Drakefan wrote:
-
- Ideally you want the most conductive surface area you
- can get in the ground. That's why more ground rods are
- better than one, particularly for transmitting purposes.
- But one rod is usually enough for receiving if the ground
- has average conductivity. In a dry area like the desert,
- it may well require many horizontal radial rods or even
- copper sheet metal buried in the ground to get a decent
- RF ground.

-was- SWL -Newbies- The Ground Rod is First and Formost
for Electrical Safety and it can also Help to Improve your
Radio Reception.

For One and All,

Putting in a new Lawn and/or Garden Sprinkler Watering System :
Plan Your Ground Rod and Grounding Radials System Too.
http://www.sprinkler.com/files/lit226w.pdf

Going On-the-Horizontal With Your Grounding Point :

Place one or two 10 Foot pieces of One Inch Copper Pipe
[1 1/8" OD] at the bottom of the Trenches.

But first put a 3/8" Layer of Kitty {Cat} Litter in the bottom
of the Trenches.

Solder a Heavy Duty # 4 AWG Bare Copper Wire to the
Copper Pipe before you put it in the Ground. Take 6-Feet
of the Wire and Fold it at the Center around the Copper
Pipe. Wrap the Wire about Four Times around the Pipe
so that you have two equal Tag-Ends about 2+ Feet long.
Solder the Wrapped Wire completely around the Pipe.
Lay the Pipe into the bottom of the Trench. Use a piece
of PVC Pipe to protect the Ground Wires from the Pipe
to 4" above the Ground Surface. Solder and Clamp your
Ground Wires to these two Wires.

-Or- Place a Bundle of Bare # 8 AWG Copper Wires in the
Trenches : 14 Feet & 12 feet & 10 Feet & 8 Feet & 6 feet
{Adds-up-to 50 Feet of Wire in the ground}
With all the Wires Bundled 'together' at the Above Ground
"Connection" End and Tappering off as they extend out.
Place a Hose at the "Connection" End and another Hose
Clamp 6" apart of the first. Solder the Wires together
between the Hose Clamps.
x===========================
x=======================
x===================
x===============
x===========
Cut a Large 1 1/2" PVC pipe long enough to go from the
bottom of the Trench to about 6" above the ground.
Remove the Hose Clamps and place the Soldered Wires
into and through the Pipe so that the Solder Wire section
is sticking out. re-install the Hose Clamps. Bend the Wires
90* at the bottom of the Pipe and place the Wires at the
bottom of the Trench with the Pipe Sticking out of the ground.
Spread the Individual Wires out at the bottom of the Trench
so that they are about an Inch apart.

NOTE - A second one of these Wire Bundles can be
place in the Ground laying in the opposite direction of
at 90* with the "Connetion" Ends co-located to form a
Below-the-Ground bi-poled {DualPath} Ground Array.

TIP : Dig the Trenches a few Inches to a Foot Deeper
for a better Grounding System.

=PS= Since the Ground is under the Sprinklers and the
Ground is always wet or at least damp this arangement
usually results in a very good Grounding System.


as always stay well grounded - iane ~ RHF {pomkia}