ARRL Technician Practice Exam 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The proper grounding method for a tower is to use separate eight-foot long ground rods for each tower leg, bonded to the tower and each other. This approach effectively dissipates electrical energy, such as lightning strikes, into the ground, reducing the risk of damage to the structure and ensuring safety for users.

Using dedicated ground rods for each leg of the tower provides a robust grounding system that enhances the overall effectiveness of the grounding mechanism. When these rods are bonded together and connected to the tower, it creates a low-resistance path for electrical surges to follow directly into the ground, which is crucial in preventing excess voltage from affecting the tower and connected equipment.

Other grounding methods, while they might serve a purpose, do not provide the same level of safety and reliability. For example, a single copper plate buried underground may not distribute the electrical energy as effectively as multiple ground rods, and a continuous metal wire wrapped around the base of the tower might not create adequate contact with the earth, especially in varying soil conditions. A direct connection to a water pipe can also be problematic due to variations in water pipe materials and connection quality, which may not ensure a consistent and reliable ground connection.