Building New House - Planning Radio

[scottbailey]

We're about to contract for a semi-custom house build from the ground up - any recommendations on what to spec out related to radio? It will be a two-story home in a HOA community, so may be limited to attic space for antennas. I'm in the north Dallas area, so lightning strikes are definitely a risk.

My interests are VHF/UHF/800 and may host a neighborhood-level GMRS repeater (since I have a spare) and will have Motorola gear and a scanner or two in two locations in the house. No low band/HF interest (and don't expect that to change).

So far, I'm planning in-wall 2" conduit from both locations to the attic, requesting to minimize turns and angles, terminated into a double box with blank faceplate. I'll also get a dedicated 20amp circuit to cover a low-level repeater. I know I'll want to make sure there is ground available in the attic, but I'm wondering if I should try to get them to put in dedicated ground for radios separate from electrical/pipes.

Thoughts?

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

We're about to contract for a semi-custom house build from the ground up - any recommendations on what to spec out related to radio? It will be a two-story home in a HOA community, so may be limited to attic space for antennas. I'm in the north Dallas area, so lightning strikes are definitely a risk.

My interests are VHF/UHF/800 and may host a neighborhood-level GMRS repeater (since I have a spare) and will have Motorola gear and a scanner or two in two locations in the house. No low band/HF interest (and don't expect that to change).

So far, I'm planning in-wall 2" conduit from both locations to the attic, requesting to minimize turns and angles, terminated into a double box with blank faceplate. I'll also get a dedicated 20amp circuit to cover a low-level repeater. I know I'll want to make sure there is ground available in the attic, but I'm wondering if I should try to get them to put in dedicated ground for radios separate from electrical/pipes.

Thoughts?

You should have a min #6 ground conductor from the ground rod at your electric meter/service entrance to your attic antennas, and a second min #6 conductor from the same ground rod to your shack to hook up the gear. Put as large a pipe as you can fit in the wall and stubbed to the attic so you can pull cables as needed. Thin wall PVC drain pipe is fine. The carpenters may need to rough out a chase in the header for it.

 

[mmckenna]

Good stuff above.

Conduit is a good idea. Ask the electrician to install it with a pull rope. That'll ease your installation.

Dedicated grounds are an easy addition. Ideally you want to keep those as short as possible and as few bends as you can get away with. Sweeping curves if necessary.
As for a "neighborhood repeater", 20 amps is overkill, but it won't hurt.


If it was me, I'd probably add a conduit from the garage to the attic, also. Seems like I spend time in the garage most weekends. Being able to run a radio out there would be handy.

Sounds like a nice project. Good luck.

 

[AK9R]

Depending on how many coaxes you plan to run, 2" conduit may not be big enough. Keep in mind that you may have to pull cable through that conduit with all of its bends. And, cable with connectors is larger in diameter than bare coax.

A friend built a house a few years ago. The electrician installed a conduit from where the TV was going to go to where the A/V equipment might go. The conduit was big enough for an HDMI cable and was even big enough for HDMI connectors, but it was not big enough for those connectors to turn the 90 degree corners in the conduit.

 

[iMONITOR]

Install whole-house surge protection in your electrical panel. Consider isolated 120v circuits to the radio room. Install a grounded copper bus bar in the radio room. Look into power EMI filtration. Considering installing numerous in the wall monitor speakers. Zone heating and cooling to the radio room. Hardwood floors instead of static prone carpet. Wall or floor mounted cable conduit access panels with routes not only to the attic, but the basement as well. Low noise lighting. Cable TV/Internet, as well as home internal network jacks.

 

[lmrtek]

If you are concerned about lightning strikes, have lightning rods installed on the roof.
.....
Without them, a conduit full of conductors running into the attic may become a target

 

[Outerdog]

If you are concerned about lightning strikes, have lightning rods installed on the roof.
.....
Without them, a conduit full of conductors running into the attic may become a target

If he installs lighting rods, he may as well install antennas.

 

[K9DAK]

And don't forget a nice beer fridge for the radio room... and a 50 gallon homebrew setup for the basement. :lol:

Install whole-house surge protection in your electrical panel. Consider isolated 120v circuits to the radio room. Install a grounded copper bus bar in the radio room. Look into power EMI filtration. Considering installing numerous in the wall monitor speakers. Zone heating and cooling to the radio room. Hardwood floors instead of static prone carpet. Wall or floor mounted cable conduit access panels with routes not only to the attic, but the basement as well. Low noise lighting. Cable TV/Internet, as well as home internal network jacks.

 

[mmckenna]

And don't forget a nice beer fridge for the radio room... and a 50 gallon homebrew setup for the basement. :lol:

Yeah, now you're talking! With a beer tap on your workbench.

 

[gonefishn1]

If your radio room is on the 2nd floor a conduit up through the ceiling into the attic would work fine also. You want to keep the RF runs as short as possible.

 

[scottyhetzel]

2) rg6 coax copper center conductor....2) cat6 from the demarc. This will future prof...adding network gig Speed to the place of the router/switch,

 

[N9JIG]

Have the electrician put in extra outlets, double gang boxes, with more than what are normally present. Extra circuits as well. Consider outlets at desk level. Consider track-lighting.

Before the wallboard is installed and the room is just studs see about adding networking ports as well. Depending on what else you are going to do there you may need to put in a couple network or phone jacks.

While you are unlikely to have a rotator others reading might have one and could pre-wire for one.

Also, for the antennas consider a patch panel. I have one ready to install when the kids come here in a couple weeks (See https://forums.radioreference.com/r...king-panel-multiple-antennas.html#post2867122). This will also have a ground stud added to it.

Another idea would be to have a false wall and a wire chase behind it. It could also double as a closet for both storage and equipment that is needed but rarely accessed like servers, power supplies etc. You could even install a set of rack rails.

And here is one tip that is ever so important but usually overlooked: Take photos of the room before the wallboard goes up! Know where studs, fire-stops, in-wall-braces etc. are! You will want to know a few years ago when you need to add something.

Remember that a shack tends to accumulate lots of devices other than radios, like computers, accessories etc. Plan ahead!

 

[phask]

I was just getting ready to "page" ya'.

You need to start a consulting biz.

And to the OP - ANYTHING he says should be gospel. Look up the shack pics.

See ya, Rich

Have the electrician put in extra outlets, doublegang boxes, with more than what are normally present. Extra circuits as well. Consider outlets at desk level. Consider track-lighting.

Before the wallboard is installed and the room is just studs see about adding networking ports as well. Depending on what else you are going to do there you may need to put in a couple network or phone jacks.

While you are unlikely to have a rotator others reading might have one and could pre-wire for one.

Also, for the antennas consider a patch panel. I have one ready to install when the kids come here in a couple weeks (See https://forums.radioreference.com/r...king-panel-multiple-antennas.html#post2867122). This will also have a ground stud added to it.

Another idea would be to have a false wall and a wire chase behind it. It could also double as a closet for both storage and equipment that is needed but rarely accessed like servers, power supplies etc. You could even install a set of rack rails.

And here is one tip that is ever so important but usually overlooked: Take photos of the room before the wallboard goes up! Know where studs, fire-stops, in-wall-braces etc. are! You will want to know a few years ago when you need to add something.

Remember that a shack tends to accumulate lots of devices other than radios, like computers, accessories etc. Plan ahead!

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

So true about photographing and measuring where the studs are located.

I did that during my master bath remodel as it was essential to know for mounting cantilevered cabinets with granite tops. I don't trust wall anchors!!! I went so far as to put heavy duty extruded aluminum angle along the wall right under the cabinets using lag bolts.

The cabinet maker guy thought it overkill, but I have been there done that on having cabinets break.

For electronics, the weight adds up.

If you plan on having any overhead shelving you can put horizontal bracing in at that level so that screws will have a good solid target. No need to have all the brackets limited to where the studs run.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[w8red]

A few thoughts:

1) Breaker Box: Read up on Eaton Breakers and ham radio: Square D or Leviton Breakers: NO EATON BREAKERS
2) Run a 220 dedicated circuit to the ham room. If you ever get into HF or even vhf stuff like moonbounce you will want it for an amplifier.
3) Look into a whole house surge something like : Whole House Surge: DITEK’s HD2 DTK-120/240HD2
4) Make sure they bond together all grounds you are having installed.

Tom

 

[AK9R]

The issue with Eaton is that some amateur radio operators were finding that RF from their transmitters was tripping Eaton arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs). Supposedly, the problem has been addressed:

ARRL Helps Manufacturer to Resolve Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter RFI Problems

Frankly, due to the design intent of AFCIs, it wouldn't surprise me if any of them would be susceptible to RF...not just Eaton.