A view of the trench heading down to the ham shack. That white bottle in the picture is copper anti-seize/anti-corrosion goop that is used liberally on ALL copper-to-copper connections.

Each of the 3 tower grounds are out abot 7 feet from each tower leg, with #4 solid copper and 1 1/2 inch copper strap back to the tower, over to the house electrical ground and down to the ham shack. Two inch rigid non-metal conduit is also buried in the trench to hold 4 runs of LMR-400 coax.

Driving those ground rods down at least 6 inches below grade with a power hammer.

#4 solid copper over to the house electrical entrance ground. Found more irrigation, Spinkler valve control cable (run in water pipe PVC) and some Romex (indoor only) that the previous owner had run to some outdoor lights. Gotta fix all that.

Here is the house ground rod as we found it. It doesn't meet code. Only one ground was found or wired into the electrical panel, but code requires two, with at least 6ft separating them. The solid copper wire is also too small, and the one rod was not 6 inches below grade. So we fixed that up.

The #4 solid wire and the copper strap is also run to the house electrical ground and into the ham shack entrance.

One of three ground tower ground rods. The are each connected to a tower leg with both a #4 solid copper wire (per NEC) PLUS a 1 1/2 inch low RF impedance copper strap. Once connections are made, the ground rod is then driven down so it is at least 6 inches below grade.

Trenching between the tower base and the ham shack entrance. The picture doesn't really show the 18% downslope here, and the trencher was stuck and rolling into one of the deck support posts. Come-alongs are keeping the trencher from taking out the deck post plus the tractor is extracting.

WB7CNV (Linda) bows properly to the tower gods.

Guys from Speedy Angeles Concrete, LLC out of Pasco WA do the work. They have the equipment and muscle, and did the job for a good price.

Yea-- this is the way to handle concrete.

Time to pour concrete. The concrete truck can only reach one guy station, so a motorized wheel barrel is used to transport 8 yards of concrete into the main tower and guy station holes.

Adam loves Jessica Kabota.

A better view of the rebar cage.

The tower base hole. 2x4's above the forms hold up and align the top rebar grid. There is also lower grid sitting on concrete blocks. The tower base that will be submerged in concrete floats in the center of both the top and bottom rebar grids. Temporary guy ropes hold the tower in perfect plumb. Grandson Adam approves.

Rebar cage for guy station is lowered onto concrete blocks that elevate up off the bottom.

Originally tried to lift rebar cage from a single point, but it caused the rebar cage to deform. A lifting frame was then built which pulled up vertical instead of an angle.

Guy station base ready to be lowered into a guy station hole. Guy station blocks are buried about 4 feet down, so only half the dirt is hauled away. The pile in the background is what goes back in to cover it up.

It's 104 today, so sweat band and wet neck towell in use!

This cart has a dump function, which really helps unloading!