I need to improve my ground system, and am thinking of burying some
radials under the lawn.

[I realise this is not the most efficient way to do it from an
electrical point of view, but the alternative approach of installing the
radials above the ground is completely out of the question, for
aesthetic reasons].

Some practical questions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What is the "best" type of wire (or braid) to use for the radials?

2. How do I bond the radials together? (I guess my 15-watt soldering
iron won't be up to the job ...).

3. What kind of solder and flux should I use?

4. What precautions should I take to minimise the effects of corrosion
at the joints?

5. How deep should I bury the radials? Two inches, six inches, 12
inches?

6. Is there anything else I should know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are on heavy clay soil that alternates between being very dry and
very wet.

My main interest is in the lower hf bands (40/80/160) and possibly
136kHz.

--
73
Ian, G3NRW

"news" wrote in message
...
I need to improve my ground system, and am thinking of burying some
radials under the lawn.

[I realise this is not the most efficient way to do it from an
electrical point of view, but the alternative approach of installing the
radials above the ground is completely out of the question, for
aesthetic reasons].

Some practical questions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What is the "best" type of wire (or braid) to use for the radials?


Whatever you can get cheaply, as you need a lot.

Insulated is fine- the soil (rf) conductivity is poor (or you'd not need
radials) so the benefit from have bare wire is minimal. Insulated will stop
it corroding.

2. How do I bond the radials together? (I guess my 15-watt soldering
iron won't be up to the job ...).


3. What kind of solder and flux should I use?

Bring them to a 'star point' which is your earth point and it should have a
normal earth stake. Make sure this is bonded to you PME point for safety by
10mm^2 wire.

If you solder, use ordinary multicore solder.


4. What precautions should I take to minimise the effects of corrosion
at the joints?

Self amalgamating tape or use conduit boxes and 'pot' with epoxy.


5. How deep should I bury the radials? Two inches, six inches, 12
inches?

Depends- this is as much to do with what the land is used for. In the past
I've used a spade to make a shallow 'slit', maybe 2" deep, in the lawn and
pushed wires into that.

In a flower bed or vegetable patch that wouldn't be deep enough.

Don't forget patios. Our patios have radials under them. Also, you can run
wires around the bottom of fences etc, by paths.

6. Is there anything else I should know?

Don't forget that safety bonding!


--
Brian Reay
www.g8osn.org.uk
www.amateurradiotraining.org.uk
FP#898

"news" wrote in message
...
I need to improve my ground system, and am thinking of burying some radials
under the lawn.

[I realise this is not the most efficient way to do it from an electrical
point of view, but the alternative approach of installing the radials
above the ground is completely out of the question, for aesthetic
reasons].

Some practical questions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. What is the "best" type of wire (or braid) to use for the radials?

2. How do I bond the radials together? (I guess my 15-watt soldering iron
won't be up to the job ...).

I would use a blowtorch (But I am used to using one).
The secret is not to overheat things.
Its a kind of dabbing technique to get up to temperature.

Hi Ian

I had over 3,500 feet of radials under my HF9VX/w160.

They were buried only about 1 inch deep overall.
I used a meat cleaver and rubber mallet, placing an open eyehook
through the hanging hole on the meat cleaver.
I stretched the wire out first, then let it pass through the eyehook.
As I cut along the edge of the wire to make the hole in the ground,
the eyehook would pull it down below the surface.
The job went fairly quickly!

I used some 12 and some 14 guage insulated solid copper wire, whatever
was on sale the cheapest, hi hi.....

At the antenna base, I drove an 8 foot ground rod, allowing it to stay
above ground about 4 inches.
Each radial came up to this ground rod and made a 90 degree turn
upwards.
I used a cheap pencil flame propane blowtorch and Copper Phosphorus
Bronze brazing rods (low melting point, good adhesion to copper),
affixing each wire to the ground rod.
I then welded an insulated braided 8 guage wire to this for later
connection to the antenna.
After all the radials were in place and welded to the rod, I slipped a
3/4 inch copper pipe over the ground rod and down to the radials and
filled it with silicone caulk.
Then, using a hose I washed out the dirt under the radials around the
ground rod so that I could (after it was dry) get about a 1 inch deep
layer of silicone around the ground rod and ends of all the radials so
that the insulation was covered back about 1 inch and about 1/2 inch
above the copper pipe.

Because the HF9VX has a COIL near ground level, I cut the bottom out
of a vinyl Cylindrical flower pot and slipped this over the antenna
mount and ground rod. It was stuck into the ground about an inch or
two, down to the tops of the radials. To keep grass/weeds from
growing, I also dumped a 4lb box of rock salt into the container.
I used a PVC sleeve over the antenna mount, so the salt would not get
to the aluminum.

TTUL
Gary

Another way is to go to your local electrical wholesaler
(assuming he will deal with you now we're past Jan 1st/Part P)
and buy one of those chocolate-box-like strips for commoning
up 6mm green-and-yellow to clamp all the wires together.

"Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." wrote in message
...
I used a cheap pencil flame propane blowtorch and Copper Phosphorus
Bronze brazing rods (low melting point, good adhesion to copper),
affixing each wire to the ground rod.

Airy R. Bean wrote:

Another way is to go to your local electrical wholesaler
(assuming he will deal with you now we're past Jan 1st/Part P)
and buy one of those chocolate-box-like strips for commoning
up 6mm green-and-yellow to clamp all the wires together.

Also available from some branches of Wickes and B&Q Warehouses.

Not had any problems purchasing from electrical wholesalers as I fitted
a shower for one of the daughters over Xmas and decided to put in one of
the pull cord switches for her to isolate the shower - purchased this
week (post 1/1/2005) from one of the larger suppliers with no questions
asked.

Maybe it's the installation and not supplying that is under question -
though typically our government bring in a silly law such as this -
while they know that there is no right of entry to inspect.

David.

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 15:52:22 GMT, David Edmonds
wrote:

Maybe it's the installation and not supplying that is under question -
though typically our government bring in a silly law such as this -
while they know that there is no right of entry to inspect.

The problem arises when you try to sell your house. A prospective
purchaser's solicitor will ask for the certificates for any work you
admit to having been done post Jan 1.
--
from
Aero Spike

Spike wrote in
:

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 15:52:22 GMT, David Edmonds
wrote:

Maybe it's the installation and not supplying that is under question -
though typically our government bring in a silly law such as this -
while they know that there is no right of entry to inspect.

The problem arises when you try to sell your house. A prospective
purchaser's solicitor will ask for the certificates for any work you
admit to having been done post Jan 1.

So you don't admit to any!

"David Edmonds" wrote in message
...
Airy R. Bean wrote:

Another way is to go to your local electrical wholesaler
(assuming he will deal with you now we're past Jan 1st/Part P)
and buy one of those chocolate-box-like strips for commoning
up 6mm green-and-yellow to clamp all the wires together.

Also available from some branches of Wickes and B&Q Warehouses.

Not had any problems purchasing from electrical wholesalers as I fitted
a shower for one of the daughters over Xmas and decided to put in one of
the pull cord switches for her to isolate the shower - purchased this
week (post 1/1/2005) from one of the larger suppliers with no questions
asked.

Maybe it's the installation and not supplying that is under question -
though typically our government bring in a silly law such as this -
while they know that there is no right of entry to inspect.

"Part P" doesn't stop DIY electrical work but such work MAY need to be
inspected. In fact, some level of inspection has always been imposed- the
electricity supply company does a check before connecting the "meter tails".

I admit to mix views on Part P, unnecessary red tape for those of us who
either know the correct way to do things, or are prepared to learn them, but
it is protection from those who believe in polarised resistors ;-)


--
Brian Reay
www.g8osn.org.uk
www.amateurradiotraining.org.uk
FP#898

ISTR that the person who introduced the concept of
polarised resistors was you.

Yet again you make the Freudian Slip of uttering a rather
silly sneer that actually applies to yourself.

SFB, or what?!

"Brian Reay" wrote in message
...
I admit to mix views on Part P, unnecessary red tape for those of us who
either know the correct way to do things, or are prepared to learn them,
but
it is protection from those who believe in polarised resistors ;-)