And it's turning out easier than I thought it would. It starts with using my 30" deep watering spike to get the hole started.
Takes about 15 minutes to melt its way down, and you have a nice, 30" deep hole, slightly larger than the ground rod.
Then I set the rod in the hole.....
Slide the ground rod driver tool over the end of the rod....
And drive the rod into the soil until there's 10" or so above ground.
This is one I did yesterday.
Easy-Peasy to drive the rods in.
The next step will be to install the surge suppressor mounting plate and suppressor. This one is just mocked up finger-tight. The bronze clamp on the rod will be for a #4 solid copper wire that bonds this ground rod to the other two rods I'll be putting in at this location.
I still have to mount the 20 Meter vertical on the post, and install the coax from the antenna to the suppressor, and then the suppressor to the RF entrance panel.
More to come as soon as the weather cooperates a bit better!
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All the gadgetry makes it look easy. Nice, clean installation looks good.
ReplyDeleteThe watering spikes I had. The demolition hammer I bought after reading about using one to drive ground rods in. It's also going be used to drill the hole through the foundation wall into the basement workshop so I can get some cables in.
DeleteAnd with the right bit in it, it splits logs like wouldn't believe!
Do the grounding rods make for a stronger signal (ground waves, which I never understood) or are they for lightning protection?
ReplyDeleteThey can improve the signal, but in this case, because of the antenna design, they're just for lightning suppression.
DeleteIt's VERY difficult to protect from a direct hit. These grounds and the little sacrificial surge suppressor are to mitigate a nearby strike. Silicon Greybeard had a close hit to a tree on his property, and the induced surge from the main stroke caused some damage.
Direct hits make things disappear.......
Glad you didn't find any 'rocks'... sigh...
ReplyDeleteHah! I figured the one at the base of the tree would be a PITA to drive in, but the demo hammer just powered on through.
DeleteBelieve me, I hit plenty of rocks feeding and deep watering the trees!
Are those 8' ground rods or what? Just curious about the percentage of hammering vs. the ~30" deep hole from the watering spike.
ReplyDeleteThe damage in my house from my lightning strike came from it getting onto the powerlines. I had a 220 V line run to the shack from the other end of the house and there's some slack coiled up there. I think it then jumped onto the 120V hot lines although it might have been wherever a power line was coiled up and there wasn't a surge protector on it. Not many. Just enough to screw up a bunch of little things.
Yes, they're "standard" 8' rods. Melting a 30" hole down into the dirt helped quite a bit. The best thing about it was that I was able to set the rod in the hole, and drive it in myself. Otherwise I'd need another person to hold it straight until I drove it in a few feet.
DeleteI've been very fortunate regarding lightning.