We got to borrow an excavator for “free” which SM2NOG fixed for us and transported up here. The plan was to improve our grounding system at SJ2W which I believe we have significantly improved now. The tower has got 4 pcs of 6m long ditches where each one of the ditches has got three ground rods driven down at ~45 degrees into the soil, which should be the most conducting material at SJ2W. Lower down its just clay mixed with sand and gravel, so I believe having the ground rods in the clay should give us the lowest ground resistance. The guy wire points has got 2 pcs of 4m long ditches with a total of three ground rods driven down at each guy wire anchor.
SM2XJP was the driver of the excavator and even though he hadn’t been in one for > 10 years it seemed like it was like riding a bike for him, he excavated like a pro!
We also put the cables from the 60m tower into the ground and added two ground leads along the cables to create a good grounding point also at the barn where they enter the switch room. Two cable tubes were added as well for future cables and also the 7/8″ cables donated by SM2JDU was put down with an RG-17 and 1/2″ cable for another future project.
Around the house we put down a 35mm2 copper wire to use as a ring ground, plus each meter there is a cable going up to the wire mesh around the house which will in the future create our own farradays cage of the entire house. Its designed to block frequencies below 30 MHz. Between the cable entrance and shack there is also a 1″ wide, 0.01″ thick copper strip which creates a low inductance path between those two points, since its extremely important that they are at the same potential.
Now I am in need of some short pieces of copper wire so that I can hook the guy wires up to the grounding system, have some laying around?
