Phil, Before you do anything else, get enough #6 or #4 bare copper wire to connect that new ground rod to the Utility Entry Ground for your house. The wire should be buried to keep it out of the way of mowers, etc., but the connection is more important than where the wire runs.
First, it is required by National Electric Code, and 2nd because it is dangerous without it. Should you have a ground fault in your house wiring, everything connected to that isolated ground rod can carry the ground current - touching anything within the area that is connected to the house wiring, but not to the ground rod at the same time as touching those items which are connected to the ground rod can cause electrocution. I would bet you were not planning to ground the desk lamp to your new ground rod - so run that ground rod to ground rod connecting wire for your safety and your family and pets. Now back to your original question - I would use stranded #14 or #12 wire because it is sufficiently flexible and easily managed. Solid copper wire will break if flexed (by moving equipment around on the desk), and braid from RG-8 is a bit messy to deal with. Use ring tongue terminals on each end of the wire (crimp if you have the correct tool, solder if you do not). Yes, ring tongue terminals require that you put the ground screw through the terminal hole, but do provide a better connection than other terminals with an open end that allow connection without putting the screw through the hole. To attach to your copper pipe "buss bar", drill it with a small diameter drill (1/8 inch) and use self-tapping metal screws (#6 or #8) The connections should be tight. I prefer solid copper bar over a pipe because I can use a stainless steel screw with internal toothed lockwasher and a nut to maintain tightness. Normal plated hardware can react with copper and the connection can fail with time and corrosion - use stainless steel to minimize that reaction. Still, that is not sufficient protection for lightning - it will bleed off static charges from distant lightning surges, but make sure your antenna system has a DC path across the coax, and use surge protection devices (PolyPhaser or other) on your coax. In addition, I would advise using an antenna switch in the shack to switch between the coax runs to the shack, and put a dummy load on one of the selections - switch to the dummy load when the transceiver is not in use. And make a DC path across the coax to the transceiver/amplifier at the switch. A 100 uHy choke of sufficient current capacity for your maximum power will do, or alternately a 5k to 10k resistor (I would suggest 5 or 10 watts for your SB-200 power level). If you do not want to open your antenna switch and add it to the coax going to the transceiver/amplifier, then mount the resistor (or choke) in a PL-259 from center conductor to the shell and use a UHF Tee Adapter at the input of your antenna switch - the coax to the transceiver/amplifier connects to one side ot the TEE and the PL-259 with the resistor or choke connects to the other side - the 3rd (male) end of the TEE goes to the antenna switch input connector. All in all, simple grounding is not simple, other measures must be employed in lightning prone areas. But your first step is to connect that isolated ground rod to the Utility entrance ground - that is a personnel safety issue and is much more important than protection for your equipment. Much more information about lightning protection is available at the PolyPhaser website. 73, Don W3FPR On 3/28/2011 5:35 PM, Phil Townsend wrote: > Lightning question: > > I have driven an 8 foot copper clad rod just out side my operating station. > Its about 6 feet from the rod to my desk. > I have attached a solid copper wire (1/4" thick) to the ground post (with a > ground rod clamp) The wire goes thru the wall and is bonded to a copper pipe > that is 1-1/8" wide that is just under the desk. > > So on to my question: > What is the BEST way to connect my equipment (k3, SB-200 and a remote coax > switch) to the copper pipe? > > Coax braid from RG8 or solid copper wire? and why.... > > > Thank You guys... > > Phil > Santa Fe > > soon to be a xx5SSR... > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
