Message-ID: <3C2B98A6F28044638496C1991A0AB12F@gnat>
From: "Alan Melia" <alan.melia@btinternet.com>
To: <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
References: <001301d0f2ae$fa2eb260$6401a8c0@ehnebrcdvojcgn> <5601AAC9.16444.5D0433D@mike.dennison.ntlworld.com> <1274797445.20150922194915@chriswilson.tv>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2015 22:26:40 +0100
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Subject: Re: Re[2]: LF: Ground
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Status: O

As to getting good contact between the rod and the ground is important..... 
mild steel rusting is likely to give poor and non-linear contact. 
Copper-clad steel is probably the best bet for hammering in. I have used 
copper water pipe or scrap CH piping. My method was to drive external steel 
(external) electrical conduit with rough teeth cut on the bottom. It was 
necessary to use a tripod and block to pull it out ! and then replace it 
with water pipe (which was a lot cheaper 10 years ago !)

In some instances salt has been used to improve contact to the soil, but it 
is not very "garden friendly" but gypsum available as a soil improver from 
garden centres is almost as good. It disolves more slowly and doesn't poison 
the soil. The disolved gypsum spreads out into the soil effecively 
increasing the area of the contact.

Alan
G3NYK

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Wilson" <chris@chriswilson.tv>
To: <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 7:49 PM
Subject: Re[2]: LF: Ground


> Hello Mike,
>
> Tuesday, September 22, 2015
>
>
>> Marcin,
>
>> My experience is that a few earth rods work much better than
>> electrically short radials on 136kHz.
>
>> But when I operate on 160m, radials are much better than the earth
>> rods.
>
>> My soil is 1m of clay over chalk.
>
>> Mike, G3XDV
>> ===========
>
> Out here in the sticks I used to buy 2 meter long heavy galvanised
> angle iron ground stakes from the electric fencing people, but today I
> found they have gone up to Ł28 plus VAT (20%) each! I bought 3 off
> 35mm OD 3mm wall thickness tubular hand rails, each 3.5 meters long,
> off Ebay for Ł54 delivered, and these will make 6 good ground rods, I
> hope. I did consider 22mm copper water pipe, but the moderns stuff is
> so soft and thin walled I worried about getting them in, I can't
> realistically run a water hose to some places I want to put them in,
> to try the pressurised water down them, to erode the soil away, and
> digging down say 4 feet is messy as I would at best have a hole 18 inches
> square,  and  possibly  bigger  if  the  soil started to collapse. The
> tractor  on the lawn with the post hole borer is a definite no no, the
> wife would skin me alive if I left wheel ruts!
>
> Anyone  know  how  much better galvanised "clean" rods are compared to
> uncoated mild steel, that will rust in weeks?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Best regards,
> Chris                            mailto:chris@chriswilson.tv
>
>