Tim: The main problem I have seen with the "wire mesh" often referred to as hardware cloth, is it tends not to lay flat, although, that problem may not be so bad on a concrete foundation. Be cautious about the material grade; the more heavy duty the better it will lay and last. As discussed previously, I recommend you over extend the mesh, angle down about 30 degrees and bury as deep as possible to minimize an abrupt impedance change around the peripheral of the pad Other than perhaps a safety measure, I think the ground rods you spoke of will not be of much value from an RF point of view. Be careful about aluminum in contact with concrete; corrosion may be a problem. How about stainless? Regards, Walt Anderson Symbol Technologies
>>> <[email protected]> 06/19/03 04:00PM >>> Hello everyone, Thanks for your input. I can go somewhat diagonal to the fence with the test site. With this angle, the EUT end will be closer to the fence than the antenna. I can also change the chain link fence to a wooden fence, but this fence is built on top of a 2 foot concrete retaining wall. I would like the site to be parallel to the fence for space saving reasons, although I know its not the best for an OATS. What do you think would be best for this site? I plan to use wire mesh over a concrete slab, with about 8 grounding rods 8 feet deep, evenly spaced. (4 on each side). Are you saying to also coil the wire mesh in an 8 inch coil and bury it into the ground on all the sides? If so, how deep do you bury it? I was also thinking about using aluminum plates, rather than mesh, because sometimes the mesh tears. I'm concerned that moisture would build up under the ground plane, changing the characteristics of the site. I appreciate any help you may have. Tim Pierce ________________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned for computer viruses. ________________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned for computer viruses.
