Grounding

[Mr Benz]

I just put up my Thunderpole5 last weekend ; it is on a mast , braced down the rear wall of my house , with the bottom of the antenna more or less level with my cast iron gutters , there is also a cast iron drainpipe about a foot from the bottom of the aerial and going well into the ground .

I am minded to ground the base of the aerial to the cast iron gutters and pipes for a number of reasons

1) mechanical stability : it will help to secure the aerial when the wind gets up

2) lightning conductor - by grounding to the cast iron waste pipe which disappears into the ground , is it an effective safety measure ?

3) groundplane , by securing to gutters and drain pipe , one hopes to better transmission and reception .