TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
ALL NON-WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WOOD COUNTY BULLETIN NR 13.08 DATE: February 24, 2013 SUBJECT: WHAT IS A GOOD GROUND?
Scientists working on a U.S. Army grounding analysis project have shown that grounding with the standard 6-foot metal rod, or even several rods, is often unsafe and more often inadequate for good low noise communications. They have found that a better ground can be established by stapling a 100-foot length of standard 1/8-inch stranded steel wire to the earth every 4 inches with 6-inch pegs. A 3 pound hammer (in lieu of the 10 pound sledgehammer used on the 6 foot ground rods) should be sufficient to drive in the pegs. Tests at all sites in the country show the surface wire to be from 35% to 95% more efficient than the 6-foot grounding rod.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV