Re: [TCML] Safely Grounding a Tesla Coil

[EVP <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

   The BC station can do that in spite of the cost because it increases 
the radiated power enough to be worth the money.  120 is extreme but not 
unusual even though going beyond maybe 16 doesn't add much.  [See 
LaPorte's Radio Antenna Engineering.]  Purpose is to minimize losses 
from current flowing into ground resistance.  The elevated counterpoise 
is sometimes used when the ground conductivity is poor.  It serves a 
similar purpose.

   For RADIATING systems the ground is even more important at lower 
frequencies.  However, TC's aren't made as radiating devices and a 
simple counterpoise or ground works well enough.  I always use a solid 
ground on the bottom of the secondary and on any circuit connected to 
the HV transformer to try to keep HV away from the secondary if anything 
goes wrong.

Ed

"The reference is to grounding systems (radials, primarily) for vertical 
antennas.  A classic AM radio station ground is 120 radials extending 
out as far as the antenna is tall.  Not because that's "optimum", 
necessarily, but it's enough that adding more radials doesn't improve 
the performance of the antenna significantly.  A lot less will also work.

Bear in mind that AM radio transmitters at 1 MHz are sort of different 
than a tesla coil at 200 kHz.  Also, radio transmitting antennas are 
designed to radiate, while TCs aren't.

The basic concepts of the ground plane are the same: add conducting 
elements to improve the apparent conductivity under the antenna/tesla coil.

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