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Re: [TowerTalk] Station Ground

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Station Ground
From: Jim Lux <jimlux@earthlink.net>
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 10:55:53 -0700
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 10/19/14, 9:09 AM, k7mks@comcast.net wrote:
Shack location dictates using a 25-30 foot ground level run from a new hams 
TS-530S to an exterior ground rod. He was planning on using #12 for the run but 
wonders if braid from RG-8 or a larger diameter single wire etc would offer 
improvement over a single wire?

What's the purpose of the ground wire run?
where's the point of entry into the house/structure, relative to the rod?
Neither will be a very good RF ground, if it's part of the antenna (and it shouldn't be). I assume he or she is running coax from rig to "outside".. If that's the case, then the RF is on the "inside" of the coax, and another wire from rig to outdoors isn't needed. (30 feet of any conductor has significant inductance... about 10 microhenries)

Electrical safety ground (green wire)is best using the third pin on the plug, rather than some random ground rod. The idea of "chassis ground" for safety is that if the power line shorts (internally) to the chassis, enough current flows in the ground wire to trip the breaker, or, at least, to keep the "touchable" part of the device at a safe voltage.

Keeping all equipment tied together is a good idea for transient protection. That means, in practical terms, run it all off one branch circuit, with one safety ground. Not plugging in some stuff on one side of the room and other stuff on the other. The idea is to minimize the "loop area" formed by ground and power wires.

Transient protection (as in overvoltage protectors: spark gaps, gas tubes, TranZorbs, etc.) is best done at the entry point to the structure.


Multiple grounding systems should be bonded together,i.e., to the house's electrical system ground, with a AWG 6 (if in a protected installation, e.g. along the base of the wall, etc.).




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