Grounding a Scantenna

[btritch]

I have a scantenna about 45 feet up, I do not have it grounded as of yet, I need to ground it asap..It's on a tower so would it be better grounding the scantenna itself or the entire tower? It is the only antenna on that tower. Otherwise, What is the best bet to ground it, My noise level is a little high and I was hoping this lowered it, I didn't want to hook my $500 scanner to something that's going to destroy it later.. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[andy404ns]

grab your sledehammer and three 8 foot copper poles and go have some fun. Check with the city about underground pipes, wires, etc first though. Unless you're like me and you like to take chances. Actually there's a very precise way to properly ground antennas/masts/towers and I forget his name but someone in these forums always answers these questions. Wait for his repsonse.

 

[btritch]

Three 8 foot rods, I know theirs a certain way they go and a certain way they hook to the tower, I'll hope for a good answer, Thanks For That So Far!!

 

[Airdorn]

Recipe: GROUNDING & BONDING

1. Drive 8' copper rod into ground. For harder work but more satisfaction, use a sledge hammer.

2. With heavy-gauge copper wire, ground tower to the rod.

3. Bond the ground rod you just drove into the ground with your house's outside utility ground using some more of that heavy-gauge copper ground wire.

Also, you might want to investigate one of those in-line coaxial lightning arrestor thingies. They've been talking about them a lot on the forums the past few days.

Good luck! I envy your 45' height. My scantenna is o nly about 20' high.

 

[OceanaRadio]

Three 8 foot rods, I know theirs a certain way they go and a certain way they hook to the tower, I'll hope for a good answer, Thanks For That So Far!!

Several posters in this forum already answered all your previous questions about the same installation at http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104802

Jack

 

[andy404ns]

Several posters in this forum already answered all your previous questions about the same installation at http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104802

Jack

There he is!

 

[btritch]

That's Right!!! I'd been so busy with other things lately I'd forgotten about that post! Sorry, Thanks for the reminder, I remember that discussion now, Looks like I'm sol on grounding then...crap..thanks anyways guys!

 

[kyarger]

You might want to look at the Polyphaser website for some tips on surge protection

 

[stevolene]

what if an outside household utility ground isnt available to ground to? such as its on the other side of a 2 family duplex? would the 8' ground rod and an in-line lightning arrestor be sufficient?

 

[OceanaRadio]

what if an outside household utility ground isnt available to ground to? such as its on the other side of a 2 family duplex? would the 8' ground rod and an in-line lightning arrestor be sufficient?

Steveolene and Btritch,

The two elements serve different purposes. Bonding other grounding systems such as for a tower and of course rooftop antennas to the main AC-entrance ground rod is to maintain equipotential in the entire system. Large surges tend to float all parts of the system at nearly the same time and lower them nearly the same. That's the goal, and it prevents violent flashovers between vastly differing potentials of one end of a grounding system to the other.

A coaxial surge arrestor on the other hand protects only the center-conductor of the coax from delivering a fatal blow to the radio's front-end. The coax surge arrestor can't do this job alone, the coax should be shield-grounded well before it also shield-grounds at the arrestor. Many rationalize this rule and say since the coax is shiled-grounded where it connects to the antenna-supporting mast, therefore it doesn't need shiled-grounded again before the arrestor. Maybe, maybe not. If the antenna is subject to a direct lightning attachment then I would want to follow every rule and standard to the fullest. If your not subject to a direct attachment (perhaps only side-flashes from nearby tall trees) then the two-point shiled-grounding (at antenna-mast and again at arrestor) might be o.k.

Jack