antenna coax grounding

[jake22si]

I installed a comet cha-250hd on a 14' 2" diameter steel pole that runs from the ground up the side of my garage to the roof. I pounded in an 8' ground rod in this area. This is the furthest point from the service power entrance diagonally on my house and keeps the best distance from the power lines at the street and trees to the side of the house. I will need approximately 100' of ground cable to reach the ground rod which is located in the basement under the fuse panel. The coax runs over the garage roof and into the attic of the house then down to the basement. Seems I used about all of the 100' of coax to reach the antenna from station location.
My question is, would having a short coax from antenna to ground rod at antenna, then another coax back up to the 100' section on roof at antenna affect my signal strength with all those connections?
I would like to think I could run a ground cable up12' to the antenna and have less connections in the coax.
I also know I need to run a 100' ground cable to the basement ground rod.
This would be much easier if I just moved the antenna to the other side of the house but worried about overhead tree branches and the power at the street.

 

[prcguy]

Per NEC you would have to use at least #6 and probably larger copper wire to bond the new ground rod to the existing main ground at the AC entry panel. Or you could abandon the new ground rod and use 100ft of #10 wire, which can be copper or copper clad steel from the base of the antenna to the main house grounding point at the AC panel.

If you were building to survive a direct lightning hit then a ground rod at the mast and the #6 wire bonding the ground rods together and a bunch of other things would be required. Just be aware its very difficult and expensive to survive a direct lightning hit and probably impossible for most residential installations. For just satisfying the NEC for human safety putting the antenna system at the same ground potential as the house ground the #10 wire solution is legal.

 

[jake22si]

Per NEC you would have to use at least #6 and probably larger copper wire to bond the new ground rod to the existing main ground at the AC entry panel. Or you could abandon the new ground rod and use 100ft of #10 wire, which can be copper or copper clad steel from the base of the antenna to the main house grounding point at the AC panel.

If you were building to survive a direct lightning hit then a ground rod at the mast and the #6 wire bonding the ground rods together and a bunch of other things would be required. Just be aware its very difficult and expensive to survive a direct lightning hit and probably impossible for most residential installations. For just satisfying the NEC for human safety putting the antenna system at the same ground potential as the house ground the #10 wire solution is legal.

Thank you for the quick reply. I am under the impression that the charge would run through the 100' of coax before 100' of #10 wire, and I would want to try and discharge it before entering the house to the ground rod in basement.
I think you are saying the mast will be the ground? And no need to ground the coax?

 

[prcguy]

Thank you for the quick reply. I am under the impression that the charge would run through the 100' of coax before 100' of #10 wire, and I would want to try and discharge it before entering the house to the ground rod in basement.

Again, you will probably never be able to withstand a direct lightning hit with any ground rod bonding you could afford, but the #10 ground wire from the antenna to the AC panel and no ground rod at the antenna will drain static to some extent and keep the antenna system at house ground level providing electrocution safety. Adding a ground rod at the antenna and not bonding it to the main ground rod with huge wire will usually cause more damage to electronics in the house with a lightning strike.

 

[jake22si]

I needed about 99', just made it.