Re: [TCML] My woeful RF ground experiments and lots of questions.

["Mike H" <mike8675309@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 5:38 PM, Jeremy Scott <supertux1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> So I tried pounding a short section of copper pipe into the dirt outside of my garage. It didn't go so well, my 'soil' is mostly clay with lots of large rocks. There's just no way I'm going to get anything more than a foot into the ground without augering a huge hole first and the only places that would be acceptable to do that are far away from where I'd be running a coil.
>
> In my garage, I have a cold water faucet. The copper pipe for this runs about 20 feet from the faucet before entering the concrete foundation of my house. About five feet or so from where the pipe goes into the foundation, the green ground wire to the fuse box (a few feet away)
> is tied in.
>
> What am I risking if I connect the coil's RF ground to the faucet in
> the garage? I am guessing that the path of least resistance seems to be straight to the pipes in ground and presumably not through the ground
> wire into the fuse box and connected appliances, although I could be wrong.
>
> Most of my 'sensitive' electronics like the TV and computers are all on
> surge protected battery operated UPS units -- I'm not so worried about frying electronics as I am the risk of electrocution.
>
> Could I put an RF choke on that ground wire? What about simply disconnecting the AC ground wire while the coil is running? Should
> I bite the bullet and tear up the yard and make a nice ground?
>

What is the diameter of your copper pipe?  they make simple devices
for jamming poles into the ground like fence posts.  Basically a big
heavy weight that slips over the top end of the pole and with two
people you just lift it up and slam it down.  Copper pipe would likely
just crush, but you might start with slamming a fence post into the
ground rather than augering something huge.

One item to consider is if your ground isn't a good "ground" then are
you certain that you can place it deep enough and get the type of
ground you are looking for?

I'm not so sure that common surge protectors are of much use in
protecting against the high frequency energy put off by the TC.
Though generally, as long as the devices plugged into your electrical
panel don't provide an better path to earth than the ground at the
electrical box, you shouldn't have any worries.

Perhaps others can give you definitive answers.  I wouldn't disconnect
the A/C mains ground... that doesn't sound safe.
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