I hate to bring up an issue which has invoked so much discussion already but I have done my research and discovered conflicting statements from several sources.
When we purchased our 40ft sloop we removed the mess that supposedly served as the counterpoise for the SSB. Now that I'm reinstalling the SSB I'm not convinced that the foil capacitor solution is the most practical. For one I hate clutter, however I also can't stand things that don't work. Secondly, our hull is over an inch and a half of hand laid fiberglass (not all Newport's were poorly built bargain racers). I'm concerned that the thickness of the dielectric (the hull) could negate the effectiveness of the system as a capacitor.
As an alternative I am considering using the lighting grounding strip or a second bronze grounding strip closer to the tuner. While reading Nigel Calder's wonderful book I came across a reference to Californian SSB enthusiast Gordon West's experiments. His research suggest that even the smallest immersed grounding plane (a single bronze through hull) is better than a foil capacitor of the size that can be fitted on a boat. The article can be found in SAIL magazine October 2001. This research also suggests that the sintered bronze ground shoes that are sold commercially are a waste of money, not performing any better than solid bronze of the some dimensions. Furthermore, various marine life grows not only on the surface where it could be removed, but also within the bronze matrix where it cannot be removed.
I would like to hear back form anyone out there that is using a solid bronze ground of any size, whether it's a single through hull or a large bronze plate. I would also appreciate someone setting me straight if my logic is flawed. Otherwise I think I'll go ahead with a piece of solid bronze flat bar near the mast for my lighting protection and another near the tuner for the SSB.
As an afterthought I realize there is something fundamentally wrong with my understanding of a foil capacitor system. From what I have read you can have a foil capacitor and an immersed ground. I thought the whole point of a capacitor was to have the two halves separated by a dielectric. Can someone explain what I'm missing here?
When we purchased our 40ft sloop we removed the mess that supposedly served as the counterpoise for the SSB. Now that I'm reinstalling the SSB I'm not convinced that the foil capacitor solution is the most practical. For one I hate clutter, however I also can't stand things that don't work. Secondly, our hull is over an inch and a half of hand laid fiberglass (not all Newport's were poorly built bargain racers). I'm concerned that the thickness of the dielectric (the hull) could negate the effectiveness of the system as a capacitor.
As an alternative I am considering using the lighting grounding strip or a second bronze grounding strip closer to the tuner. While reading Nigel Calder's wonderful book I came across a reference to Californian SSB enthusiast Gordon West's experiments. His research suggest that even the smallest immersed grounding plane (a single bronze through hull) is better than a foil capacitor of the size that can be fitted on a boat. The article can be found in SAIL magazine October 2001. This research also suggests that the sintered bronze ground shoes that are sold commercially are a waste of money, not performing any better than solid bronze of the some dimensions. Furthermore, various marine life grows not only on the surface where it could be removed, but also within the bronze matrix where it cannot be removed.
I would like to hear back form anyone out there that is using a solid bronze ground of any size, whether it's a single through hull or a large bronze plate. I would also appreciate someone setting me straight if my logic is flawed. Otherwise I think I'll go ahead with a piece of solid bronze flat bar near the mast for my lighting protection and another near the tuner for the SSB.
As an afterthought I realize there is something fundamentally wrong with my understanding of a foil capacitor system. From what I have read you can have a foil capacitor and an immersed ground. I thought the whole point of a capacitor was to have the two halves separated by a dielectric. Can someone explain what I'm missing here?