AERIAL AND EARTH

Shannon News, 15 March 1929, Page 4

AERIAL AND EARTH

CLEAN iLXf CONTACTS,

~ The question of a periodic "clear?tup" for the aerial system has -cOKte into more than usual prominence of late

Frequently, howcyer, the- radio enthusiast, having managed to iix his aerial in a position which seems secure enough and gives fairly good results, is unwilling to go to the length of apparently undoing tr e good work as-he could not Ixi sure of knowing- the best plan to work upon when the all-im-portant length of wire is down. The same frequently applies to the earth. Assuming .that tho aerial has been .dismantled, the first and most obvious thing to do is to tost the mechanical strength of masts. Slavs, puih-ys, etc., and to make, sure-that the system-will withstand, the additional stresses of winter. When mechanical strength has' been brought up io pur, the next task is to ensure strength by well denning everything from .A to "E.

i In the older- 'installations, the next point for examination is tho aerial, to the lighting gap- f<« ■if j (as u frequently the case) it is uni protected, much trouble may be traced I to this point.

Another point which is frequently, forgotten is that the aerial proper, should on no account touch the aerial guy.-,, whether these be of rope or of wire. The reason for this will be obvious. Earthing System. Now we come to tho earthing system —another fruitful source of trouble. ■As in the case of. the aerial, the lightning gap should bo examined and the ' connections, if necessary, cleaned. Next the earth proper (I am assuming that this is of the buried rod. or .sheet variety) should be overhauled. While the overhauling is taking place, 1 it is sometimes a good plan to make sure that there is no better place than the one you are using. For instance, an excellent earth is a rod (or plate) buried near a drainpipe leading from the roof, for any rain that falls will ' Assist in keeping your earth damp ami, consequently, stabilising the level of reception. Another efficient method of assuring a good earth connection is :o mix the soil surrounding the »od with coke or, bettor still, totally to embed the rod in it..