DJB wrote:

I'm will setting up my shack soon but the question of grounding has come up.
I'll be driving a 8' copper rod into the ground and running wire to a
grounding bulkhead for the equipment to tie in. The problem is that my shack
will be on the second floor. I know that you would have to keep the ground
run as short as possible. Could I use a use a larger guage wire for the
ground run? If so, what guage should I use? I plan to use originally #10
guage.

It may be hard finding a copper ground rod and then it may be too soft
to drive all the way in without it bending. Normal electrical ground
rods are just galvanized steel, about 5/8 or 3/4 inch in diameter and
about nine or ten feet long.

If the ground is fairly soft, a sledge hammer will drive it in. Careful
with the ladder when you first start beating the thing down and try not
to put it through any utility stuff buried in the ground.

A brass ground clamp may be used at the exposed end of the rod. Some
have a serated washer and bolt asssembly. Clean the wire well and apply
a coating of anti oxidant paste (or vaseline) over ALL the contact areas
and the threads of the clamp then assemble and tighten. The vaseline or
anti oxidant will keep humidity/rain from corroding the joint.