According to the Glen Martin website, the 8" auger has a rating of "11,000 pound holding capacity in normal soil", while the 6" is rated at 4,000 pounds.
Gary, I've helped install tiedowns for a mobile home. The tool we used was a large drill motor with long handles and a hook shaped rod that fit in the chuck. It was a bear to hold on to.
Well. it has in some cases not "made it obsolete", but reduced activity to some extent. But ham radio can do things that the net cannot. Here are a few examples:
Provide communications at public service events such as bike races and charity walks.
Provide real time tracking of a person or vehicles location that can be displayed on customized maps.
Provide realtime conversation between folks located thousands of miles apart just because it's fun to do.
Allow a person to experiment and perhaps develop new kinds of communication methods.
Did I mention the fun part?
The net is great, but it won't allow me to be in my car in St. Louis and talk to folks in Oz while I'm on my way to work!
Must have been a real big drill motor. I wonder if an adaptor could be made for a PHD. They are not made to operate except straight into the earth, so it's probably not a safe thing to try.