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Re: [TowerTalk] Sinking ground rods

To: "Bill Coleman" <aa4lr@arrl.net>, <britech@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Sinking ground rods
From: "Orcena Lyle" <olyle@usfamily.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:12:05 -0500
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
What were the collars like and how did you attach them?

73 de Orcy WØQT
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Coleman 
  To: britech@earthlink.net 
  Cc: 'Tower Talk Reflector' 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 8:55 AM
  Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Sinking ground rods



  On Aug 14, 2006, at 1:32 AM, Allen R. Brier wrote:

  > What is the best/easiest method to sink ground rods? I know the  
  > trick of
  > using water to fill the hole several times to make it easy, but I  
  > have also
  > heard that the ground contact is not as good using this method vs.  
  > pounding
  > the rod in the hard way, in dry ground. Which is best?

  The best way is to pound them in. Doing that can be tricky. It all  
  depends on the soil. I put a couple of ground rods in at W4AN (SK)'s  
  superstation in Dahlonegah, GA. Soil there was undisturbed forest  
  floor. The ground rods could be pushed almost a foot, and hammered in  
  with a 20 oz hammer all but the last two feet. Really soft ground.

  Most of Georgia isn't like that -- around Atlanta it is hard clay.  
  Back in the mid-80s, I broke three sledgehammer handles trying to put  
  two ground rods in during a drought. After that, I built a tool.

  My ground rod driving tool consists of a 12" steel pipe nipple with  
  two couplers and a plug on one end. To this, I added a couple of  
  collars and 15 lbs from a set of dumbell weights. The result is a 15  
  lb hammer with about a 1 foot throw that cannot miss.

  It only takes about 10 minutes to put in a ground rod with this  
  device, even in the hardest clay soil.

  When I put up my tower five years ago, putting in the four ground  
  rods was a snap.

  Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
  Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
               -- Wilbur Wright, 1901

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