The importance of adequately grounding electrical and electronic equipment, such as wireless communication equipment, to protect both the equipment and technicians working on the equipment is well known. This is particularly true where the equipment is installed at a desired location, such as on a hilltop, susceptible to frequent lightning strikes.
Traditionally, wireless communication equipment is installed at a desired location in the following manner. Concrete is transported to the installation site and a concrete support pad is poured. The equipment is separately transported to the site and secured on the support pad. To ground the equipment, a trench is dug around the pad, typically to a depth of two and one-half feet, and a ground ring formed from a heavy gauge wire, such as a #2 wire, is installed in the trench. Ground rods are sunk into the ground adjacent to the ground ring and connected thereto. A wire connected to the equipment runs over the surface of the support pad to electrically connect the equipment with the ground ring.