I have to jump in here...The US is single phase power to the house.? The transformer that makes the transition from high voltage to 220 volts is only connected to one phase if three phase power is distributed in the neighborhood.? The transformer is center tapped so that each side is 110 volts.? Three wires are supplied to the house, to voltage lines and the center tap which is connected to "earth" (usually water supply pipe) in the electrical panel.
There are a number of articles and books about grounding ham stations, that talk about proper methods and techniques.? There is one thing I have learned is "the one thing that is predictable about lightning is that it is unpredictable."? That being said most experts will tell you, that to protect yourself from lightning is to keep it from getting in your house.? There is a good ARRL book "" available from any location that sells ARRL books including most hamfests. ?
That being said, I have seen reports of many lightning strikes of ham installations and many of those installs still had significant damage.? Near or direct lightning strikes are catastrophic events (millions of amps) that include significant variables that may not result in predictable results.? Your design needs to address as many variables as possible for success.
As to counterpoise and grounding for vertical antennas, the earth around your antenna already has a significant effect on your antenna pattern and efficiency.? The RF return (the second connection back to your transmitter) is what effects the current in your radiating element.? Above ground radials or counter poise work best if they are resonant lengths to balance the system and return the greatest current to the transmitter.? You need to have some conductor acting as a return to the transmitter.? But as with the end of the radiating element, those resonant elements can/will have voltage at the very ends.? They are the other half of the antenna system after all.?
Radials on the ground or in the ground cannot be made resonant due to the effects of the earth to detune those conductors.? The rule of thumb is to have as many radials on/in the ground as you can afford or have space for.? Ground conductivity affects/interacts with the radial system too.? Many operators start with 16 radials but often find that 32 or even 64 provide better efficiency.? As you increase the number of radials, you increase the Q of the antenna system by lowering the resistance (think resistors in parallel) in the resonant circuit of the antenna.
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Al Skierkiewicz
WB9UVJ
Al WB9UVJ