INSTALLING GROUND RODS INSIDE BASEMENTS

[sanman]

HELLO TO ALL:
Can i install a ground rod to the basement floor ? The reason y I ask is that there is cement around the house . the radio setup is in my bedroom and i share a community driveway where the window is closest to the radio. I would have to run a long wire to the closest place where theirs dirt. As i understand that grounding should be as short to the radio as possible. Can I use a short ground rod or a long one due to the need for moisture for continuity. If this is possible I guess I can also hook a cable ground to it . Another thing is can I hook the antenna to a inside ground , of course on a separate ground rod on the other side of the basement. Setting up the antenna is another issue i guess i would have to start another thread unless i can continue in this thread with permission. thanks

 

[wavrider]

Hammer drill, cement bit and a big sledge hammer, seal the concrete back up, plenty of resin type concrete patches on the market.

I have done the same thing with machinery equipment at the plant I used to work at, just drilled a hole in the concrete drove the ground rod in it and connected the strap.

 

[sanman]

hey wavrider ; thanks for getting back to the reply ! Would there be a difference between inside or outside grounding due to moisture ? What size rod should i use ? If i have to use a 10 footer , I would have to break up 2 * 2 Ft and post hole dig down i would say 5 ft down . If i use a 4 or 5 footer then i dont have too the extreme . Is there a difference to how far down ? reading on some of the posts saying about proper grounding is out of my league.

 

[Mudfoot]

Drill and pound at an angle.

 

[wavrider]

Are you grounding for electrical ground or Rf ground?

 

[IRock817]

Dig a small hole with the shovel or post hole digger about six or eight inches deep! Fill the hole with water, then work your ground rod up and down in the middle of the hole. You can do this at an angle if head room is an issue! Keep the hole full of water and before you know it, you will have sank a ground rod by hand, unless you hit rock!
Good luck!

 

[TonyV225]

The water trick in the hole works great and also as mentioned you can pound on an angle if need be or rock filled ground is a problem. Remember all your wanting to do or accomplish is having as much of the groundroud in the ground or covered for a wider or more effective ground.

Also keep in mind that if it is reall dry and the soil or ground drys out the ground is most certainly less effective and it takes a bit of rain to saturate 9 feet down. So less deep and angled will most likely be more effective and faster with a rainstorm and will take less rainf to sturate the ground around the ground rod.

I actually have been having problems here with my ground on 75 meters. My amplifier is killing the internet and a veteran antenna guru told me to try an experiment tomorrow. He told me to dump a few 5 gallon buckets of water over and around my groundrod. I didnt have room to angle the rod so the other 2 I will angle but Im thinking because its been so dry here that the ground isnt working or effective so the watter will be the answer to the question if this is indeed my problem with kicking out the internet here in the house.

 

[wavrider]

Tony is your inverted V antenna parallel to the incoming cable for your Internet ( assuming you use cable for ISP)?

The water trick in the hole works great and also as mentioned you can pound on an angle if need be or rock filled ground is a problem. Remember all your wanting to do or accomplish is having as much of the groundroud in the ground or covered for a wider or more effective ground.

Also keep in mind that if it is reall dry and the soil or ground drys out the ground is most certainly less effective and it takes a bit of rain to saturate 9 feet down. So less deep and angled will most likely be more effective and faster with a rainstorm and will take less rainf to sturate the ground around the ground rod.

I actually have been having problems here with my ground on 75 meters. My amplifier is killing the internet and a veteran antenna guru told me to try an experiment tomorrow. He told me to dump a few 5 gallon buckets of water over and around my groundrod. I didnt have room to angle the rod so the other 2 I will angle but Im thinking because its been so dry here that the ground isnt working or effective so the watter will be the answer to the question if this is indeed my problem with kicking out the internet here in the house.

 

[packrat]

I personally dont ground anything. Just invites lightening and your neighbors noise into your house.

 

[TonyV225]

Tony is your inverted V antenna parallel to the incoming cable for your Internet ( assuming you use cable for ISP)?

Actually I think the lines for phone (I have DSL) are not burried and are possibly at level which Ive thought of but it does not always interfere and is spurratic and real bad when it does happen it wipes out the modem and I have to back the power down to 300 - 350 watts.

 

[wavrider]

Actually I think the lines for phone (I have DSL) are not burried and are possibly at level which Ive thought of but it does not always interfere and is spurratic and real bad when it does happen it wipes out the modem and I have to back the power down to 300 - 350 watts.

The phone lines.

You may try ferrite beads from rat shack or try and block any RF on the lines if the telephone wires are acting as a receive antenna, most likely it is the modem itself, you may try shielding the modem and also attaching ferrite beads to the power cord of the modem.

Good luck RFI can be a pain to chase down.

 

[sanman]

Are you grounding for electrical ground or Rf ground?

WAVRIDER I GUESS BOTH . ITS TO GROUND EVERYTHING IN THE BEDROOM / SHACK AND THE COAX LEADING TO THE ROOM FROM THE BASEMENT.

 

[sanman]

THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE IS SPACE BETWEEN FLOOR TO CEILING . DOES IT MAKE A BIG OR SMALL DIFFERENCE WITH THE SIZE OF THE RODS? IM GUESSING THEIRS NO DIFFERENCE IF THE RODS ARE IN AN ANGLE OR STRAIGHT DOWN TO EARTH FOR THE GROUNDING TO WORK.

 

[sanman]

The water trick in the hole works great and also as mentioned you can pound on an angle if need be or rock filled ground is a problem. Remember all your wanting to do or accomplish is having as much of the groundroud in the ground or covered for a wider or more effective ground.

Also keep in mind that if it is reall dry and the soil or ground drys out the ground is most certainly less effective and it takes a bit of rain to saturate 9 feet down. So less deep and angled will most likely be more effective and faster with a rainstorm and will take less rainf to sturate the ground around the ground rod.

I actually have been having problems here with my ground on 75 meters. My amplifier is killing the internet and a veteran antenna guru told me to try an experiment tomorrow. He told me to dump a few 5 gallon buckets of water over and around my groundrod. I didnt have room to angle the rod so the other 2 I will angle but Im thinking because its been so dry here that the ground isnt working or effective so the watter will be the answer to the question if this is indeed my problem with kicking out the internet here in the house.

TONYV ,GOOD INFO ! DO U THINK ROCK SALT WILL BE NEEDEDAROUND THE ROD ? IF SO WOULD THAT EAT THE ROD UP ,NEED YOUR OPINION! THANKS

 

[TonyV225]

Ive knew people that used that and better yet a form of copper sulphate years ago which is a NO NO!! Dangerous stuff to be putting in the ground and a problem if caught doing it