Basic, outdoor base antenna mount requirements?

[DJ-Person]

I am trying to install a discone base antenna. I am a beginner so any in depth theory discussions will not help, only confuse me. I have done some searching on R.R. but the articles I have found are far to detailed.
I am looking for a basic how-to article about the minimum requirements to get an antenna above a house. Not the mechanics of guy wires or mounting brackets. Just the grounding, lightening and surge protection? And any other REQUIRED information/items. I’m pretty discouraged at this point and would greatly appreciate any help.

 

[hoser147]

Check out some of the articles in the Wiki Main Page - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[DJ-Person]

Only dead ends, techno-babel and tiny details so far

R.R. Wiki is one of the places where I have done my research up till now. There is nothing I can find that is Basic, step by step instructions that could help a beginner get started. I was hoping someone knew of such a write-up (As apposed to discussions about particular aspects of external base antenna installation) There seems to be no one place that has all this information in a form a beginner can use. So I can never be sure I have a workable & complete plan. Also, I cannot know what the total expenses would be upon completion. I cannot act on what may be incomplete knowledge/information. And I will not be able to afford an electrician any time soon, or maybe ever.
Frustration is a kill-joy when getting started in scanning.

 

[hoser147]

What are you monitoring? We try to take the "killjoy" out of scanning. What are you looking to spend? You can be setup and pretty well running with some outfits for under a 100 bucks. It really just depends on what you are trying to accomplish....

 

[iMONITOR]

I am trying to install a discone base antenna. I am a beginner so any in depth theory discussions will not help, only confuse me. I have done some searching on R.R. but the articles I have found are far to detailed.
I am looking for a basic how-to article about the minimum requirements to get an antenna above a house. Not the mechanics of guy wires or mounting brackets. Just the grounding, lightening and surge protection? And any other REQUIRED information/items. I’m pretty discouraged at this point and would greatly appreciate any help.

Click on the link below and scroll down near the end to:

Grounding outdoor antennas
Antenna Basics

 

[DJ-Person]

Thanks for the help SIG-INT and Hoser147.
This article looks like what I need. It appears to show the absolute minimum required for a mast installation. I was planning on bonding the ground onto the main house ground wire at the meter. Like most installations mine is unique.
The antenna will mount on the peak of the roof and the coax will enter through the gable vent. There will be 50’ of coax in the attic. And less than 20’ of coax to the antenna. The ground block will be 25’ off the ground and at least 60’ from the utility meter. The house is built on degraded granite in Arizona. The ground is dry 300 days of the year and I doubt the ground rod will go more than 4’ before it hits dry, solid rock. Bonding to the house is a must. But I have doubts about the main house ground rod. There is no way to get to wet earth most the year. All water drains away through cracks in the granite.

Also; the guy wires will be fastened to the wooden eaves. Do these need to be grounded? That wouldn’t be practical for me.

 

[DJ-Person]

To clarify; I plan on trying to sink a ground rod as straight down from the antenna as I can. Then adding a wire to the main utility ground.

 

[Hoofy]

You may want to consider using some UV proof nylon-type rope for the guy instead of wire.

Also a single ground wire from the ground rod is best because you could be setting up a multipath ground and that can act like an rf loop.

 

[W6KRU]

To clarify; I plan on trying to sink a ground rod as straight down from the antenna as I can. Then adding a wire to the main utility ground.

What are you trying to accomplish with the ground wire? If it is for lightning protection, be careful where you run that ground. In the case of a lightning strike it could become very hot. It wouldn't be a good idea to save the radio (maybe) and burn the house down on top of it.

 

[rchjr]

Grounding rods

Hi all,

I just installed a yagi antenna on a ham radio tower and have not grounded it yet. Where can one get a grounding rod?

Thanks,

Rchjr

 

[BuffaloJustice]

Lowe's, Home Depot, your local electric supply company and many online vendors.