[HCDX] Re: Hard-Core-DX digest, Vol 1 #52 - 18 msgs

["Guy Atkins" <dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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@xxxxxxxxx (Patrick Martin)
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 00:23:06 -0700 (PDT)
To: am@xxxxxxxxxxx, hard-core-dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [HCDX] Grounding
Reply-To: hard-core-dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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



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