>Another question, which is better in clay type of topsoil? I currently
>have several copper clad one out and I assume I should continue to use
>copper clad on the ones I am soon to add?
I've used only copper clad rods since pure copper won't go straight into the
ground here with clay soil. I usually have to use a sledge hammer to get 'em
all the way in. At home I use 8 ft copper clad. At work I use two coupled 10
ft rods for 20 feet total.
Remember to add grounding to tower guys also; yet another path for lightning
to follow away from your shack.
I understand the new EIA tower standards now specifies galvanized steel rods,
but I think that is due to corrosion of tower anchors in certain parts of the
USA. Copper clad should work okay for radials in most of the USA.
There's a company that specializes in this area called "AnchorGaurd". They
have a good web page with lot's of pictures of corroded tower anchors and the
catastrophic results. Also shows a map that shows the areas of the country
that have corrosive soils. You may want to use galvanized steel rods on your
guy wire's ground rods if you live in those areas. Apparently Norht & South
Dakotas have really bad corrosive soils as does alot of Texas/Louisiana. See:
www.anchorgaurd.com for lot's more info.
73,
de ed -- K0iL
k0il@qsl.net
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