Hardware: UFER House Ground

I installed the UFER ground when the house was built. The Ufer Ground is an electrical earth grounding method developed during World War II. "It uses a concrete-encased electrode to improve grounding in dry areas. The technique is used in construction of concrete foundations". Lots more info about it here.

It consists of wire mesh under the poured concrete floor of the basement and garage all bonded together with #4 copper wire. The copper wire surfaces near where my conduits go out through a side wall in the basement to near the base of the antenna. It goes on out there where it is bonded to 2 legs of the tower, and connected to a large buried ground plate.

There is a copper wire running on the inside of the house from where the UFER ground wire goes outside which then connected to the Electrical Panel safety ground at the panel.

From what I have read, although this is a great safety ground, it might not be as good an RF ground (aka counterpoise) as elevated radials, see this article. The whole subject of safety, RF and lightning ground systems is very interesting with lots of informed (and not so informed) opinions out there, just google around.


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