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Cheap tower setup with grounding

TIN_CAN

TIN_CAN

Sr. Member
Nov 23, 2011
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Ok well I have decided to set up a tower on the side of the house to mount my Imax-2000 on. My previous setup was 25' push up pole on rod with 2 set of guy wires in triangle formation to roof, no Isolator on guy wires and no ground and radio is on second floor for 2.5 year with no strikes, yet we have had 2 strikes in our back yard in the last 4 years and the fellow that lives next to me his shop in his back yard was hit 2 months ago....so down came the imax 2000 and had to reconfigure. I ended up getting a radio shack type tower 40' that was 5 years old in decent condition with rotor for $30. So I have mounted it up the side of the chimney I still have one more section to put up with a 10' mast and will mount my Imax 2000 on top with an ugly balun just below feed point on imax. I just bought a 10' steel copper clad ground rod from home depot and its off the base of the tower about 2 feet (took 10 minutes with 10lb sledge to get to the point you see in picture) will be underground about 6" and connected to tower with bronze clamp, Then I will be running #6 AWG green from bottom of tower to the ground wire coming from my service panel down in the basement connected to a copper water pipe, about 20' in from base of tower to bond tower to house ground, and radio will be in basement as well with a junction box on wall with Polyphaser connected to ground rod at base of tower. anyone tell me if I am heading in the right direction? Should I bond the coax sheild (lmr400) to base of tower as well??

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No slap, just anchored on 3 6' rebar rods in the ground, I do not expect to keep this up more then a couple years till I can get a free standing tower at the back of my lot 120' from the house as I have an old wilson shooting star I would like to get up in the air...so no your not Ignorant.
 
TIN_CAN said:
No slap, just anchored on 3 6' rebar rods in the ground, I do not expect to keep this up more then a couple years till I can get a free standing tower at the back of my lot 120' from the house as I have an old wilson shooting star I would like to get up in the air...so no your not Ignorant.
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Ahh I see, cunning.

Thanks FNH
 
I am also hopeing that I will have a good ground as I am in a high water table area basically 4 feet down you will hit waster so with the 10' rod I hope to be good! thanks guys!
 
TIN_CAN said:
CK, even though I am going to use a polyphaser before entering house?
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It depends where the lightning arrestor is located. If it is located at the entrance to the house then YES ground the coax at the tower base. If it is located right at the tower base and grounded to the ground rod at the base then NO as it is grounded thru the lightning arrestor case that should be connected to ground.BTW Polyphaser is just a brand name.You install a Polyphaser lightning arrestor not install a Polyphaser. That's like me saying I installed an ICE on my coax cables and control lines. Not trying to be picky it's just that I must have heard it a thousand times that's all.


Impulse Suppresors | Arrestors
 
binrat said:
Hey TC,
I got rotator / thrust bearing plates for that type of tower if you want them. I'm packing as we sold the farm so a small offering is all that's needed.
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|I will get back to you on that, your finally heading out west are you?
 
Captain Kilowatt said:
It depends where the lightning arrestor is located. If it is located at the entrance to the house then YES ground the coax at the tower base. If it is located right at the tower base and grounded to the ground rod at the base then NO as it is grounded thru the lightning arrestor case that should be connected to ground.BTW Polyphaser is just a brand name.You install a Polyphaser lightning arrestor not install a Polyphaser. That's like me saying I installed an ICE on my coax cables and control lines. Not trying to be picky it's just that I must have heard it a thousand times that's all.


Impulse Suppresors | Arrestors
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Thanks dude,I am just looking for the best possible protection not something cheap.....Ice products are good?
 
TIN_CAN said:
.....Ice products are good?
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IMO, and many others, ICE lightning arrestors and surge suppressors are better than Polyphaser. I researched several brands before deciding on them from Array Solutions. The Polyphaser brand have had a bad issue with running high power. There have been numerous complaints of them failing at 1 Kw and above whereas the ICE units will handle much more power without a hiccup.In addition to being DC blocked they also have a shunt coil from center tap to ground on both the antenna side and the radio side to bleed off static as it builds up. I used the Array Solutions AS-302-U on the coaxial lines and a AS-16-SP for the rotator and switch control lines.


Polyphaser versus ICE Special Publications | Technical Publication #33
 
Hmmm . . . I don't know if attaching a tower to masonry is such a great idea.
Any torsional wind forces could cause it to crack and lose its anchoring.
Think that attaching the tower to the frame of the house (@ top, middle, and bottom frame) might be a safer idea to consider.
 

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