Materials
 

Materials:

A/R = As Required, per your requirements.

Tower Ground Field

• Ground rods, 5/8th inch diameter.  Three rods at tower base, plus a number of rods along each radial (I would not use less than six radials).  Quantity of rods, length, and spacing is dependant upon how long a rod you can drive into the ground, soil composition, etc.
• Clamps to daisey-chain #4 ground wire radials from rod to rod.
• Clamps for 2/0 wire.  Two clamps per rod at base of tower:  one for each 2/0 wire to tower leg, plus one to daisey-chain a continuous length of 2/0 wire between these 3 rods.  Strip insulation at points of contact.
• NOTE:  my tower is free standing.  Guyed towers will need additional grounding for guy wires and ground anchor stations.
• A/R - feet of # 4 solid, bare copper wire.
• A/R - feet of 2/0 ("double-ought") insulated wire.  Insulation keeps contaminants off wire to help extend useful life.  This wire is used from each tower leg to the three tower ground rods, between these rods, from Tower to Entry Box to Entry Panel to Radio Room.  If you can use wide copper foil in place of 2/0 wire, you can achieve a somewhat lower inductance.
• A/R - "Large" Squeeze Container of Anti-Oxidation Compound.  You will use a lot - at every metal-to-metal connection.

Coax and Rotator Cable

• A/R - feet of shielded rotator cable.
• A/R - feet of coax cable / feedline of choice.
• A/R - PL-259 (or other) coaxial connector.  One per feedline.  I prefer Gold PL-259 connectors - every part is gold plated, not just the center pin.  They solder much easier than Silver, and have virtually no oxidation.

Tower Box

• Watertight aluminum box.  Should have a readily removable or hinged cover.
• A/R - Lightning Arrestors - one per feed line.
• A/R - Lightning Arrestors - one per rotator cable.
• Watertight bulkhead connectors - one per feedline. (pass feedline through to prevent water ingress, yet allow easy coax removal)
• A/R - Ring Lugs.  For each rotator cable, you will need two lugs per each wire in cable plus two more for the shield wire.
• A/R - Stainless Steel hardware (Bolts, Nuts, Flat Washers, Lock Washers) to attach ground lugs etc. to box and arrestors if not included.
• A/R - "Large" Squeeze Container of Anti-Oxidation Compound.  You will use a lot - at every metal-to-metal connection.
• A/R - Silicone sealant to form gasket.
• A/R - Coax Seal.

Entry Box

• Watertight steel box.  Should have a readily removable or hinged cover.  Silicone seal all cracks, joints, etc.
• A/R - Lightning Arrestors - one per feed line.
• A/R - Lightning Arrestors - one per rotator cable.
• A/R - Ring Lugs.  For each rotator cable, you will need two lugs per each wire in cable plus two more for the shield wire.
• A/R - Stainless Steel hardware (Bolts, Nuts, Flat Washers, Lock Washers).  INCLUDED with arrestors I selected.
• Line Isolators.  One per feedline.
• A/R - Male-Male UHF Connectors.  Used to attach line isolator directly to arrestor.  One per feedline.
• A/R - Right Angle UHF Connectors.  One per feedline.
• A/R - Long Bulkhead UHF Connectors, with 2 nuts.  One per feedline.
• A/R - Fender Washers.  Two per feedline.  These have a very large outside diameter and an inside diameter just large enough to slip tightly over a bulkhead connector.  Attach one right angle connector to end of each line isolator. Screw right angle connector to long bulkhead connector.  Spin a nut onto the bulkhead connector and slip on a fender washer.  Pass through entry box.  Slip on another fender washer and spin on another nut.  Adjust nuts to keep line isolators reasonably level, then tighten.
• Ground lugs.  Two for 2/0 wire.  One mounted on outside, one inside.
• 2/0 wire.  Pass a continuous length of 2/0 wire from tower leg ground rods through a clamp on a ground rod placed as close to Entry Box as possible and terminate at ground lug.  A short length of 2/0 will interconnect internal ground lug to ground lug on interior Entry Panel.
• A/R - Stainless Steel hardware (Bolts, Nuts, Flat Washers, Lock Washers) to attach ground lugs etc. to box and arrestors if not included.
• Copper Bus Material.  A strip of thick copper plate, used to form an internal copper bus bar, rather than rely on steel box for conductivity.  This forms the interconnecting ground bus between all arrestors, rotator shields and earth grounds.
• A/R - Stainless Steel hardware and brackets to secure copper ground bus to box.
• A/R - Watertight bulkhead connectors - one per rotator cable. (pass cable through to prevent water ingress, yet allow easy cable removal)
• A/R - "Large" Squeeze Container of Anti-Oxidation Compound.  You will use a lot - at every metal-to-metal connection.
• A/R - Silicone sealant to form gasket.
• A/R - Coax Seal.

Entry Panel

• Thick Aluminum (or Copper) Panel.  This plate is slipped over all the bulkhead connectors which extend through and into the structure.
• Extra UHF Bulkhead Connector Nuts.  Use to secure aluminum plate to UHF Bulkhead Connectors.
• Terminal Block.  Used to interconnect wires in rotator cable from Entry Box lightning arrestor, to lightning arrestor in Radio Room.
• Ground lugs.  Two, for 2/0 wire.  One wire comes from Entry Box, other wire goes to Radio Room.
• A/R - 2/0 wire.  From ground lug on Entry Panel to Radio Room.
• A/R - "Large" Squeeze Container of Anti-Oxidation Compound.  You will use a lot - at every metal-to-metal connection.

Radio Room Panel

• Plastic Laminated Panel - or other suitable material to mount devices to.
• Aluminum Angle Stock.  Use to mount lightning arrestors and ground lugs.
• A/R - Metal Conduit Clamps.  Used to mount Line Isolators.
• A/R - Line Isolators.  One per Feedline.
• A/R - Male-Male UHF Connectors.  Used to attach line isolator directly to arrestor.  One per feedline.
• A/R - Lightning Arrestors.  One per feedline.
• A/R - Lightning Arrestors.  One per rotator cable.
• A/R - Ring Lugs.  For each rotator cable, you will need two lugs per each wire in cable plus two more for the shield wire.
• A/R - Clamps to secure rotator cable to panel.
• Ground lugs.  One, for 2/0 wire.
• Ground lugs.  One, for #4 wire.
• A/R - "Large" Squeeze Container of Anti-Oxidation Compound.  You will use a lot - at every metal-to-metal connection.

Single Point Ground
A/R - # 4 insulated ground wire.  Connects Radio Room Panel ground bus to Tuner chassis.  This ground point is the single point for equipment grounds.  The single point ground connects via 2/0 wire all the way back outdoors to the ground field.

Additional Line Isolators
A line isolator is inserted between Rig and Amplifier.

Another line isolator is in series with an I.C.E. 422 Low Pass Filter, with both inserted between Amplifier and Tuner.