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[Amps] RF ground

To: <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [Amps] RF ground
From: k5uj@hotmail.com (Rob Atkinson, K5UJ)
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 17:51:20 +0000
"On single point grounding, you can have as many grounds as it is convenient 
to
have but you only want one lead connected to your equipment. If you have two
leads like the power ground lead and your installed ground lead connected to
your equipment you have created a ground loop."


This sounds like you can't have a separate safety ground and rf ground.  
This is a new one to me.  It sounds like you have to either clip the 3rd 
prong on your power supply cord plug and use your rf ground or hook your rf 
ground to your safety ground wiring somewhere and use the ac safety for all 
your grounding.  Not getting this.

I set my shack up in my basement and started out with a 1" tinned heavy 
braided 8' strap from a copper bus at my equip. table to my cold water 
entrance for rf.  cold water was a nice lead pipe coming up through the 
concrete floor from outside.  Had rf all over the place; mic bites; 
distortion on audio; linear didn't want to put out more than a few hundred 
watts without distorting.  Put in coax line isolators (1:1 ununs) and 
ferrite chokes all over everything in shack and at feed point--that helped.  
Ran a 22 foot 1/2" o.d. copper cable across my basement to 5 cu rods 8' long 
outside, four in a square tied directly to one in the center.  All well on 
80, 40, 20; low output from linear on 15 and 10.  Dismantled shack; moved 
whole station across basement (cable making nice high XL "ant." on 15 & 10); 
cut gnd cable to 6.5', gnd. bus down to 12" from 8', put xmatch and linear 
right at the bus, one on top of the other, brought all rigs and p.s.s etc. 
gnds over to the bus with 1" tinned braid.  Now everything puts out rated 
limits es sounds beautiful.  Unless ur low power, I think you need a rf 
ground--I'd try to get on the 1st floor or basement.  I know bc stations run 
FM & TV txs from the tops of buildings but I'm not a prof. rf engineer.
My 2 cnts but maybe only worth 1 SH green stamp.

Rob Atkinson
K5UJ
k5uj@hotmail.com

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