Fluke 1630-2 FC Earth Ground Clamp
Advanced Stakeless Testing & AC Leakage Current Measurement
The Fluke 1630-2 FC is an industrial-grade stakeless earth ground clamp meter designed to test loop resistance and AC leakage currents on bonded, multi-grounded systems without driving auxiliary stakes or disconnecting earth conductors.
The Fluke 1630-2 FC revolutionizes earth ground testing by eliminating the need for auxiliary test stakes. Whether you are working in a fully paved urban area or inside a building where soil access is impossible, this “stakeless” clamp method ensures you stay on-line without disconnecting the earth electrode.
Why Stakeless?
- No Rods Needed: Test ground resistance without driving stakes into the dirt.
- Heavy-Duty Jaw: Designed to stay in alignment even in rugged industrial environments.
- Dual-Clamp System: Automatically determines loop resistance for multi-grounded systems.
Smart Connectivity
Equipped with Fluke Connect®, the 1630-2 FC allows you to:
- Wirelessly sync measurements to your smartphone.
- Save GPS locations and images to the cloud.
- Share live data with your team remotely.
Overview & Core Operating Principle
In congested industrial sites, commercial complexes, and telecommunications towers, traditional 3-pole and 4-pole Fall-of-Potential testing can be impractical. Pounding stakes into asphalt, concrete, or rocky GCC terrains requires excessive time, and disconnecting grounding bonds introduces hazardous touch-potential risks. The Fluke 1630-2 FC solves this by using dual-core clamp induction: one core induces a known test voltage into the loop, and the sensing core measures the resulting circulating current to calculate ground loop resistance automatically.
As part of the Fluke Connect® ecosystem, the 1630-2 FC wirelessly pairs with mobile apps and cloud dashboards, logging measurements with GPS tags and timestamps for streamlined client compliance reporting.
Technical Specifications Summary
Below are the verified laboratory specifications and measurement boundaries for the Fluke 1630-2 FC:
| Parameter |
Operating Range |
Resolution |
Intrinsic Accuracy |
| Earth Loop Resistance (Non-contact Stakeless) |
0.025 Ω to 0.249 Ω |
0.001 Ω |
±(1.5% + 0.02 Ω) |
| 0.250 Ω to 9.999 Ω |
0.01 Ω |
±(1.5% + 0.05 Ω) |
| 10.00 Ω to 99.99 Ω |
0.1 Ω |
±(2.0% + 0.5 Ω) |
| 100.0 Ω to 1500 Ω |
1 Ω to 10 Ω |
±(10.0% to 20.0%) |
| AC Leakage Current (True-RMS, 40 Hz to 1 kHz) |
0.200 mA to 399.9 mA |
0.01 mA to 0.1 mA |
±(2.0% + 0.05 mA) |
| 0.400 A to 39.99 A |
0.001 A to 0.01 A |
±(2.0% + 0.01 A) |
| Filter Bandwidth |
Selectable 50/60 Hz bandpass filter rejection |
| Jaw Opening / Diameter |
35 mm (1.38 in) heavy-duty dual-jaw design |
| Memory & Logging |
Internal memory stores up to 32,760 records at selectable intervals |
| Safety & Ingress Rating |
CAT IV 600 V / CAT III 1000 V (IEC 61010-1 & IEC 61010-2-032); IP30 |
| Power Supply & Battery Life |
4 × 1.5 V AA alkaline batteries; >15 hours continuous operation |
Who Is the Fluke 1630-2 FC For?
The Fluke 1630-2 FC is built for test professionals working on interconnected electrical infrastructures where isolating electrodes is hazardous or prohibited:
- Telecommunications & Cell Tower Technicians: Rapidly verify bond loop integrity on grounding rings, guy wires, and transmission shelter earths without taking sites offline.
- Industrial Plant & Facility Maintenance Engineers: Monitor earth integrity across machinery, sub-distribution boards, and structural steel connections while equipment remains live.
- Power Utility & Substation Crews: Test ground down-leads on distribution poles and transmission towers where parallel ground paths naturally exist.
- Electrical Service Contractors: Perform periodic compliance testing and identify nuisance tripping by measuring continuous AC earth leakage currents without separate mA clamps.
Comprehensive Competitive Benchmark: Fluke 1630-2 FC vs. Industry Leaders
To evaluate the engineering capabilities, field suitability, and overall utility of the Fluke 1630-2 FC, we compare it against both its direct stakeless competitor (Megger DET24C) and a traditional 4-terminal soil/ground tester (Megger DET4TC2).
| Specification / Feature |
Fluke 1630-2 FC |
Megger DET24C |
Megger DET4TC2 |
| Instrument Category |
Wireless Stakeless Earth Clamp |
Digital Earth Clamp Tester |
4-Terminal Multi-Method Earth Tester |
| Test Methodology |
Stakeless Loop Induction |
Stakeless Loop Induction |
2P, 3P, 4P (Fall-of-Potential), ART, Stakeless (w/ optional clamps) |
| Resistance Range |
0.025 Ω to 1500 Ω |
0.05 Ω to 1500 Ω |
0.01 Ω to 200 kΩ (200,000 Ω) |
| Low-End Resolution |
0.001 Ω (1 mΩ) |
0.01 Ω (10 mΩ) |
0.01 Ω (10 mΩ) |
| Intrinsic Accuracy |
±(1.5% + 0.02 Ω) |
±(1.5% + 0.05 Ω) |
±(2.0% + 3 digits) |
| AC Leakage Measurement |
0.200 mA to 39.99 A (True-RMS) |
0.500 mA to 35.00 A (True-RMS) |
0.5 mA to 19.9 A (Requires ICLAMP) |
| Jaw Aperture & Capacity |
35 mm (1.38 in) Circular Jaw |
39 mm Elliptical Jaw (Accommodates 50 mm Earth Tape) |
N/A (External Clamps: 52 mm ICLAMP) |
| Wireless & Data Integration |
Fluke Connect® (iOS/Android App, Cloud, GPS Tagging) |
Bluetooth (Megger PowerDB / PowerDB Lite PC) |
No Wireless (Direct Display Readout) |
| On-Board Memory |
32,760 Records (Selectable Log Interval) |
2,000 Records |
None (On-screen real-time) |
| Safety Category Rating |
CAT IV 600 V / CAT III 1000 V |
CAT IV 600 V |
CAT IV 100 V |
| Soil Resistivity (Wenner) |
No |
No |
Yes (Full 4-pole algorithm) |
| Isolated Single Rod Test |
No (Requires parallel return loop) |
No (Requires parallel return loop) |
Yes (True 3-pole Fall-of-Potential) |
Key Technical Insights & Trade-Offs
- Fluke 1630-2 FC vs. Megger DET24C: While Megger offers an elliptical jaw profile accommodating up to 50 mm flat copper tape, the Fluke 1630-2 FC delivers higher low-end resolution (0.001 Ω vs. 0.01 Ω), a broader AC leakage threshold (up to 39.99 A), vastly larger logging memory (32,760 data points vs. 2,000), and mobile cloud collaboration through the Fluke Connect® ecosystem.
- Clamp Testers vs. 4-Terminal Testers: The Fluke 1630-2 FC drastically reduces audit time on live, multi-grounded installations (cell towers, utility poles, and interconnected building steel). However, for greenfield site commissioning, soil resistivity surveys, or isolated lightning protection rods, an instrument from our Earth Ground Testers lineup or a dedicated Multifunction Installation Tester is indispensable.
نظرة عامة على المنتج
جهاز Fluke 1630-2 FC هو الحل الأمثل لقياس مقاومة التأريض بدون أوتاد (Stakeless). يتيح لك العمل في الأماكن المغلقة أو المعبدة تماماً دون الحاجة لغرس قضبان مساعدة، مع إمكانية تسجيل البيانات والاتصال اللاسلكي عبر تطبيق Fluke Connect لمشاركة النتائج فورياً.
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