Owen Duffy wrote:
On 20 Jul 2006 16:12:56 -0700, "Brian Kelly" wrote:


In this part of the world one can buy joiners for the rods. The idea
would be you cut them in two, then when you install them, drive the
first rod, put the joiner on, place the second rod in the joiner,
drive it etc. That's how rods of tens of metres are driven in.

Maybe those joiners are available from you electrical contractors
suppliers.

Interesting approach but I've never run into any such things on this
side of the pond. I'll ask an electrician or electrical supply house.
Tnx.


Owen

Brian w3rv

On 20 Jul 2006 17:51:34 -0700, "Brian Kelly" wrote:

Owen Duffy wrote:
On 20 Jul 2006 16:12:56 -0700, "Brian Kelly" wrote:


In this part of the world one can buy joiners for the rods. The idea
would be you cut them in two, then when you install them, drive the
first rod, put the joiner on, place the second rod in the joiner,
drive it etc. That's how rods of tens of metres are driven in.

Maybe those joiners are available from you electrical contractors
suppliers.

Interesting approach but I've never run into any such things on this
side of the pond. I'll ask an electrician or electrical supply house.
Tnx.


Brian, these ferrules are for copper clad steel electrodes. The are
slimline, and have a hole with a slow taper bored in each end. They
are "connected" during the driving process, no silver soldering etc.
They cost about six pacific pesos for half inch rods, equivalent to
about $4+ of your money.

Owen
--

Brian Kelly wrote:
I have to transport four U.S. standard 5/8" dia x 8' long ground rods
35 miles in my four door compact car. Do not want to carry them on the
roof. If I cut them to six feet long I can load them inside the car.
Ignoring any code compliance issues would there be any reason the
shortened rods would not work as well as full-length rods for purposes
of ligtning protection and the usual HF station RF grounding? Soil here
is probably very conductive (damp heavy loam). Thanks.

Brian,

I know this doesn't answer the transport problem, but what are you
going to do with the rods?

Lightning protection comes much more from how you wire things than a
few ground rods...or even a dozen ground rods. As a matter of fact
adding or improving a ground can make things worse if the bonding and
entrance is installed wrong.

The station ground always should attach at the cable entrance point,
and that entrance MUST be bonded to the utilitly entrance ground. Many
people don't do this even though it is critical.

I have virtually no ground rods at all at my shack entrance, I leave
all the cables connected all of the time, I have several tall towers
including one 300 ft tall that gets hit several times a year, I have
virtually no in house lightning arrestors on cables, and I never have
lightning damage inside the house. I do have a cable entrance panel for
all cables, and that panel is bonded to the power mains ground and
telco ground.

The reason I don't have problems, even though the magnetic field from
some hits is so strong it magnetizes the TV screens, is how things
enter and how they are "grounded" to a common point. I haven't even
lost a computer modem.

As for RF, unless you are end feeding an antenna the only way
RF-in-the-shack is an issue is if something is wrong with an antenna
system...either in basic design or layout. Any two conductor feeder,
either balanced or unbalanced, should not produce RF in the shack.

73 Tom

On 20 Jul 2006 18:20:47 -0700, wrote:


Brian Kelly wrote:
I have to transport four U.S. standard 5/8" dia x 8' long ground rods
35 miles in my four door compact car. Do not want to carry them on the
roof. If I cut them to six feet long I can load them inside the car.
Ignoring any code compliance issues would there be any reason the
shortened rods would not work as well as full-length rods for purposes
of ligtning protection and the usual HF station RF grounding? Soil here
is probably very conductive (damp heavy loam). Thanks.

Brian,

I know this doesn't answer the transport problem, but what are you
going to do with the rods?

Lightning protection comes much more from how you wire things than a
few ground rods...or even a dozen ground rods. As a matter of fact
adding or improving a ground can make things worse if the bonding and
entrance is installed wrong.

The station ground always should attach at the cable entrance point,
and that entrance MUST be bonded to the utilitly entrance ground. Many
people don't do this even though it is critical.

I have virtually no ground rods at all at my shack entrance, I leave
all the cables connected all of the time, I have several tall towers
including one 300 ft tall that gets hit several times a year, I have
virtually no in house lightning arrestors on cables, and I never have
lightning damage inside the house. I do have a cable entrance panel for
all cables, and that panel is bonded to the power mains ground and
telco ground.

You should put up some pictures of your ground installation :-)

bob
k5qwg



The reason I don't have problems, even though the magnetic field from
some hits is so strong it magnetizes the TV screens, is how things
enter and how they are "grounded" to a common point. I haven't even
lost a computer modem.

As for RF, unless you are end feeding an antenna the only way
RF-in-the-shack is an issue is if something is wrong with an antenna
system...either in basic design or layout. Any two conductor feeder,
either balanced or unbalanced, should not produce RF in the shack.

73 Tom

Tom,

This is a bit off-topic, but can I ask you ..

Lightning protection comes much more from how you wire things than a
few ground rods...or even a dozen ground rods. As a matter of fact
adding or improving a ground can make things worse if the bonding and
entrance is installed wrong.

The station ground always should attach at the cable entrance point,
and that entrance MUST be bonded to the utilitly entrance ground. Many
people don't do this even though it is critical.

Did you do this yourself, or did you get a pro of some kind? I have
tried to understand the advice I have seen (in particular the ARRL
articles) but I've only become convinced that it needs more knowledge
than I have, or at least that I could easily do exactly the wrong
thing. Would any electrician know enough (I'm suspecting not) or some
other professional?

Jim

On 20 Jul 2006 16:12:56 -0700, "Brian Kelly" wrote:

I have to transport four U.S. standard 5/8" dia x 8' long ground rods
35 miles in my four door compact car. Do not want to carry them on the
roof. If I cut them to six feet long I can load them inside the car.
Ignoring any code compliance issues would there be any reason the
shortened rods would not work as well as full-length rods for purposes
of ligtning protection and the usual HF station RF grounding? Soil here
is probably very conductive (damp heavy loam). Thanks.

Brian w3rv

The rods I have seen aren't solid copper, but copper plated over some
other metal. One I saw appeared to have a concrete filling. You may
find putting the rod back together again a little difficult. If it is
just copper tubing, you may find using couplings will put you back in
business..

Buck

--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW

I have to transport four U.S. standard 5/8" dia x 8' long ground rods
35 miles in my four door compact car. Do not want to carry them on the
roof. If I cut them to six feet long I can load them inside the car.
Ignoring any code compliance issues would there be any reason the
shortened rods would not work as well as full-length rods for purposes
of ligtning protection and the usual HF station RF grounding? Soil here
is probably very conductive (damp heavy loam). Thanks.


What's wrong with putting them on the roof? They are only 8' long, so they
won't overhang. Even without a roof rack it would be a simple matter to
protect the roof and tie the rods down.

Regards
Jeff

Jeff wrote:
I have to transport four U.S. standard 5/8" dia x 8' long ground rods
35 miles in my four door compact car. Do not want to carry them on the
roof. If I cut them to six feet long I can load them inside the car.
Ignoring any code compliance issues would there be any reason the
shortened rods would not work as well as full-length rods for purposes
of ligtning protection and the usual HF station RF grounding? Soil here
is probably very conductive (damp heavy loam). Thanks.


What's wrong with putting them on the roof? They are only 8' long, so they
won't overhang. Even without a roof rack it would be a simple matter to
protect the roof and tie the rods down.

You're right. I gotta go looking for a general-purpose rack. Which
would greatly simplify hauling lumber and 12' lengths of aluminum
tubing too.


Regards
Jeff

Brian w3rv