[From nobody Thu Jul 3 13:42:49 2003 X-PPSource-MBox: vdetomasi@tiscalinet.it X-PPAccount: vittorio Return-Path: <hard-core-dx-admin@hard-core-dx.com> Received: from laguna.tiscalinet.it (192.168.0.4) by nplex2a.mx.tiscalinet.it; 8 Aug 2000 18:04:47 +0200 Received: from kotalampi.com (63.193.121.247) by laguna.tiscalinet.it; 8 Aug 2000 18:07:22 +0200 Received: from kotalampi.kotalampi.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by kotalampi.com (8.11.0/8.11.0) with ESMTP id e78G6Dq01723; Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:06:13 -0700 Received: from smtp.nwlink.com (smtp.nwlink.com [209.20.130.57]) by kotalampi.com (8.11.0/8.11.0) with ESMTP id e78FENq27664 for <hard-core-dx@hard-core-dx.com>; Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:14:23 -0700 Received: from amdathlon (ip220.r13.d.bel.nwlink.com [207.202.174.220]) by smtp.nwlink.com (8.9.3/8.9.1) with SMTP id IAA07392 for <hard-core-dx@hard-core-dx.com>; Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:14:17 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: <003b01c0014b$79710980$d3aecacf@amdathlon> From: "Guy Atkins" <dx@guyatkins.com> To: <hard-core-dx@hard-core-dx.com> References: <200008080750.e787o9q07270@kotalampi.com> Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:14:45 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 Subject: [HCDX] Re: Hard-Core-DX digest, Vol 1 #52 - 18 msgs Sender: hard-core-dx-admin@hard-core-dx.com Errors-To: hard-core-dx-admin@hard-core-dx.com X-BeenThere: hard-core-dx@hard-core-dx.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0beta5 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: hard-core-dx@hard-core-dx.com List-Id: Hard-Core-DX Email List <hard-core-dx.hard-core-dx.com> X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 Patrick, If you can locate a supply of the mineral called Bentonite, it makes an excellent ion-rich (and non-corrosive) backfill for ground rods and grounding systems. Professional antenna installations and electrical substations use Bentonite for lowering the resistance to earth. I have read that Bentonite is sold at animal feed stores; it is used as an additive to cattle & pig feed. Also, ceramic supply stores sometimes carry Bentonite, as it is a special clay used by potters. During a vacation one year, I got my initial supply of Bentonite directly from a refinery in Wyoming where they mine the stuff... they gave me some bags of Bentonite free because the bags were slightly ripped and they couldn't sell them. To use the Bentonite, you dig a hole eight inches or more in diameter, perhaps three feet deep (post-hole digger helps), and suspend the ground rod in the middle. Put in a few inches of the powdered or crushed Bentonite, water it thoroughly (it swells up tremendously with water), and then add another layer. Water that layer, and continue with water-soaked layers of Bentonite until the hole is filled up. The Bentonite absorbs the water, expands, and holds the ground rod very tightly in the center. Because of the expansion and Bentonite's conductive qualities, a lower resistance path to ground is achieved. It's sort of like using an eight-inch diameter ground rod at your site. The Bentonite never drys out, as it is "hydrophilic" and absorbs moisture from the soil to remain hydrated. If you do a web search on the term "bentonite" you'll come up with a lot more information about this mineral. Besides improving ground systems, it is used as a colloidal (suspension) product for everything from vinyl plastics to chocolate(!) to cosmetics. Also, Bentonite, in a highly refined form, is the key active ingredient in disposable baby diapers (I'm not kidding!). I know this trivia because Bentonite mining is one of the industries in the region of Wyoming my wife grew up in. Here in Bonney Lake, WA, our soil is very rocky, ancient glacial debris from Mt. Rainier. Even though we live on a small island and are surrounded by water, the soil is still very dry and rocky. Bentonite surrounding my ground rods has improved the directionality of my impedance-matched, terminated 175 ft. longwire. There was a noticeable improvement in directivity to Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya after improving the ground with Bentonite. I also use the same ground for K9AY electronics (the head unit), although I don't know if this is really helping. BTW, there was a IEEE paper written some years ago about Bentonite grounds. The careful measurements and comparisons they did showed clearly that resistance-to-ground was lowered when Bentonite was used. This method is clearly preferred over adding various salts to the soil... Bentonite won't corrode the ground rod nor harm the soil or surrounding vegetation. Guy Atkins Bonney Lake, WA USA ----- Original Message ----- Message: 17 From: mwdxer@webtv.net (Patrick Martin) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 00:23:06 -0700 (PDT) To: am@nrcdxas.org, hard-core-dx@kotalampi.com Subject: [HCDX] Grounding Reply-To: hard-core-dx@hard-core-dx.com Hi: As many of you know, I have several beverages and antennas I use. Here on the Northern Oregon coast we generally get a lot of rain 60-100 inches a year. This Summer has been a "dray" one to say the least. Does anyone know what the best type of grounding I could use? Right now I am using a series of several rods (copper pipes) with #14 bare copper wire connecting them. It isn't all that easy to put 8-10 foot rods in the ground, so I use 4 foot ones. Most of the year the pipes are under water. Oh course in the dry part of the Summer the grounding is in very sandy soil. I notice this Summer when we get a bit of drizzle or light rain, the noise level goes down and the antennas work better, as they should. What would be a resonable ground system that would work pretty well even when the soil is dry? Also should I increase the number of rods at all grounding points, including the matching transformer grounding points and the termination points? I am just trying to make the system work better, as we are trying to do. Getting that 1/2 DB signal can make the difference of logging the rare catch. Thanks. 73s, Patrick http://community.webtv.net/BobAndPatrick _______________________________________________ Hard-Core-DX mailing list Hard-Core-DX@hard-core-dx.com http://www2.hard-core-dx.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx http://www.hard-core-dx.com/ ]