Hi, in the process of setting up my shack, I found a ground wire 
clamped to a pipe outside the window.  The copper pipe goes to a 
tankless water heater.  I am using the shield of some RG 8 that 
is flattened out like a copper ribbon.  I just ran that through 
the window which closes fine on it.  In checking the ground wire 
with a multimeter, using the ground circuit from an AC outlet, I 
got 0 ohms resistance so it seems to be working.  If you have a 
nearby copper pipe that may work out well for you.  Jim WA6EKS

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Howard, W A 9 Y B W" <[log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Date sent: Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:51:16 -0500
Subject: Re: mfj 931

Tom,

In my last e-mail, I failed to ask you why you needed to go out 
17 feet to
your ground rod.  As Lloyd said, the shorter the ground the 
better.  Just a
foot or so outside the building is fine.  The power company 
installs their
ground right up practically against the building.

Howard
W A 9 Y B W
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Brennan" <[log in to unmask]
To: <[log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 7:48 AM
Subject: Re: mfj 931


 Howard, my concern was about having the ground wire actually in 
the ground
 for
 all that length.  It would require my using an insulated wire 
and I had
 read
 somewhere that you can't do that for grounding.  Is that not the 
case?

 There is grass all the way to the place I'd have to use but 
since they
 want the
 wire two or three inches deep and also want me to relandscape 
the area
 that I
 dig I guess I'm a little iffie about it <g>.

 Tom


 Tom Brennan  KD5VIJ, CCC-A/SLP
 web page http://titan.sfasu.edu/~g_brennantg/sonicpage.html