Re: rf ground?

["Paul Mathus" <pmathus-at-learningco-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

     I am running a 12/60 NST.  I use 4 ga. welding cable for my RF ground. 
     I have a jumper cable clamp crimped on the end of the welding cable.  
     i usually clamp this to a handy piece of big metal,  like the big 
     chainlink fence in my friend's back yard.  This seems to work fine.  
     
     #18 sounds WAY too small, and I would keep your rf ground as far away 
     from the house electrical system as possible.  everything from the NST 
     case onward should be grounded to the RF ground.  The only thing I am 
     grounding to the house ground is my variac.
     
     I think, with my limited knowledge, that a crappy ground can indeed 
     reduce coil performance, and even be dangerous.  I don't think you 
     need to go as far as pounding rods into the ground if you have some 
     big grounded metal around like a fence or a building frame you can 
     clamp to.  But if you do go to the trouble of making a real rod-style 
     ground, you'll have the best possible rf ground.   I would definitely 
     use bigger wire.
     
     paul


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Subject: rf ground?
Author:  "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> at INTERNET
Date:    7/18/00 8:25 AM


Original poster: "John Morawa" <morawaj-at-interaccess-dot-com> 
     
     
Hey everyone,
     
I sent this msg out last Friday but never received any answers so I'm trying 
one more time.
     
     
     
Hey folks,
     
I havent done any coiling in 10+ years.  Back then the largest system i had 
was powered by a 15/60 NST.  At the time i just ran a long piece (15') of 
#18 stranded wire from the base of the secondary with the other end clamped 
to any electrical conduit I could find.  It seemed to work fine.  I have 
been reading some posts in the archives about the secondary being a 
different ground.  An rf ground.  My question is this, was what i did a 
BADDDD thing?  Also, had i driven multiple pipes into the ground and 
interconnected them and used them as my secondary ground would i expect to 
get any improvement in discharge length?
     
     
Thanks again,
John M.