Diamond D130J ground or not?

Status
Not open for further replies.

giguchan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 7, 2010
Messages
315
Location
$uffolk County Long I$land NY
Hello all,
I have a buddy who is need of a scanner antenna.. I happen to have a D130j thats not currently being used...

My question is is it necessary to ground it? and if so how? I'm sure i can find a lug or a place to attach a copper ground wire to then to a stake and then into the ground. Is this Old school thinking?

Or should i just connect the coax to the Antenna and then to the scanner and be done with it.

Thanks for the information
 

ka3jjz

Wiki Admin Emeritus
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Messages
25,361
Location
Bowie, Md.
I don't want to sound like I'm coming down on you, but it's not just old school thinking, it's potentially dangerous. You don't want to ground the antenna, you want to ground the mast or pole that it's mounted to.

Just ramming a rod into the ground isn't going to solve the problem. There's the risk of creating more than one potential path for a lightning strike here. There are electrical codes that you need to be aware of, including the National Electrician's Code. If you aren't familiar with them, get an electrician. I understand some homewoner's insurance can be impacted if the grounding isn't done properly. And yes, a good lightning arrestor - properly grounded - on the coax is also a good idea.

Don't mess with Mother Nature (heh)...it will likely be somewhat expensive but much less than might be if a bolt happens to hit the antenna and the mast isn't grounded properly

Mike
 

giguchan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 7, 2010
Messages
315
Location
$uffolk County Long I$land NY
Hello there,
Thank you for the information.. I think it is a good idea that the job is done properly.. I have an idea that the older antenna was done on the cheap..

Thank you very much.
 

prcguy

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
15,224
Location
So Cal - Richardson, TX - Tewksbury, MA
In case it wasn't mentioned, the DJ130 and most any antenna does not need any grounding for performance, they don't know or care if you ground them and they won't receive any better if you do. Grounding is strictly for safety and you should follow NEC Article 810 rules which specifically covers antenna grounding to meet code.
prcguy
 

giguchan

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 7, 2010
Messages
315
Location
$uffolk County Long I$land NY
Hello,
I was thinking of the safety aspect of it. It's a good idea to ground it properly. I'm going to talk him into doing it the right way.
Thanks for the information.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top