Hi Tom,
I've been watching this thread and have an idea or two.  I guess I am 
old school and want a ground.  I am currently grounded to the rod 
outside of the house - used by the electric and phone companies.  No 
idea how long it is.  I have a ten footer that will be driven just 
where my various cables enter the house, being closer than the 
current rod and of known length.  And I'll connect the two existing 
rods together.  Also and perhaps not until spring I will run wire out 
along the fence that encloses our back yard perhaps using a lawn 
edging tool to open a slot to drop the wire in and then pressing the 
ground back down over the wire.  Soon you'd never know that the 
ground had been cut.  And maybe I'd continue that wire around the 
house, away from the back yard.  My thought is that the more rods and 
radials you can get in place, the better you'll be.  A long time ago 
when a lot of us local guys were very young and more ambitious than 
now, we worked 160 and several of us spent the summer adding rods and 
radials and noting that our ground wave signals kept improving.  Of 
course there is a point where the difference becomes academic and 
theoretical but a ground will make a difference in how you get out 
and how much or little RF hangs out in the shack.
Good luck and find some young guy you can give ten bucks to to sink 
that damned rod!!!
Pat, K9JAu At 10:59 AM 9/30/2009, you wrote:
>Hi, folks.
>
>I would like any suggestions anyone might have for a reasonably good RF
>ground in my ham room at the new Colorado home QTH.  The room is on the main
>floor of the ranch house, but I don't know of a nearby water pipe or
>something like that to hook onto.  We have forced hot air heat, bbut I don't
>know if the nearest heating vent has something I could latch onto either.
>When the guys from the local club put up my DXCC and my Diamond X200A, we
>discussed the grounding issue, and they really downplayed the need for an
>earth or RF ground out here.  They said the soil is just not conducive to
>it, and since it's always so dry, it's really hard to find true ground.  So,
>at this point, I am groundless.
>
>I have two reasons for getting more serious about an RF ground in addition
>to protecting against possible lightning strikes:
>
>1.  I have discovered that I might have some RF getting back into my TW1
>talking watt meter, since when I take SWR and power readings at 100 watts
>with my TS480, the meter sometimes acts a bit flaky when I adjust the volume
>control.  Doesn't do it normally, just when 100 watts are applied.
>
>
>and
>
>2.  I have a lot of details to work out yet, but I'm starting to think about
>purchasing a small amp for my HF set-up--possibly something like a Heath Kit
>SB200.  I would think that a good RF ground would be essential when using an
>amp like that.
>Would appreciate any suggestions you guys have, and thanks as always for
>your help.
>
>73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ, Louisville, CO