Grounding antenna?

[cavmedic]

THIS IS WHY YOU GROUND

The only thing in the rack below that was affected was the power supply fuse.

Nothing happened to the 8 Astro tac receivers, multi-coupler, preamp , poly phaser , hardline or the wireline RTNA circuits.


This could have sucked really bad if those receivers took a hit.

 

[mmckenna]

Yeah, when Zeus decides to toss one at your antenna, you'd want to be prepared. I wouldn't risk -not- grounding a system. The damage can be serious (even with proper grounding). I'm not sure how your homeowners insurance would look at things if they discovered you added a tall mast at your home and didn't follow code.

 

[cavmedic]

More than likely “claim denied” or really looked hard into some way to not pay

 

[mmckenna]

More than likely “claim denied” or really looked hard into some way to not pay

That's what I would expect, and why I ground my stuff at home. I'm not a gambling man.

 

[prcguy]

Yeah, when Zeus decides to toss one at your antenna, you'd want to be prepared. I wouldn't risk -not- grounding a system. The damage can be serious (even with proper grounding). I'm not sure how your homeowners insurance would look at things if they discovered you added a tall mast at your home and didn't follow code.

A lightning strike is considered an "act of God" by insurance companies and they will not ding you for an antenna/mast that is not installed to code. My wifee managed home insurance for 21 states and has never pulled the code card for lightning hits.

 

[prcguy]

THIS IS WHY YOU GROUND

The only thing in the rack below that was affected was the power supply fuse.

Nothing happened to the 8 Astro tac receivers, multi-coupler, preamp , poly phaser , hardline or the wireline RTNA circuits.


This could have sucked really bad if those receivers took a hit.

This is obviously a professionally designed and installed ground system and its unlikely any home system could ever survive the same event.

 

[bill4long]

I'm planning on putting up a Diamond X50 on a 10' mast attached to the gable of a 2 story house (different than my "stealth antenna" question!) I'm looking into grounding, and am hearing everything from "Bah, don't bother!" to "YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ELABORATE GROUNDING SYSTEM OR YOU AND ALL YOU LOVE WILL DIE!!!1!!1"

This antenna will not be near the electric panel. There is a cold water pipe on the same wall... I figure I could run a ground wire to it. Is that going to be sufficient?

There will be a lightning arrestor in the coax, and it needs to be grounded as well, so... same place?

The debates have raged for time immemorial. But whatever you do, when lightning is coming near, I recommend unplugging all your radios from the antennas and from the power outlets too. A direct hit, or even a very near hit, is likely to result in destruction event of any equipment coupled to the outside world, in and around the strike. We'll talking 300 billion coulombs of electrons in a small fraction of a second. It has a mind of its own, and it's totally unpredictable about what the outcome is going to be, esp for small time stations. (Professional broadcasters spend vast amounts of money to protect their systems.)

I've been a ham for 40+ years and seen the results of many a strike. I don't bother to ground any more because regardless of whether I ground or not, I'm still going to decouple the equipment in the shack from the outside when the bolts are near. A few months ago a friend of mine in Florida got a direct hit. His station was grounded quite elaborately. Ground rods all over, polyphasers, blah blah blah. It didn't work. Now he just cusses about it, say he'll never waste his time with all the grounding again, and swears he'll always detach the shack when the bolts are heading his way.

 

[cavmedic]

This is obviously a professionally designed and installed ground system and its unlikely any home system could ever survive the same event.

Just a Standard Copper ground plate at entry point, polyphaser, ground wire ran to a beam clamp, attached to structure I beam and each device bonded to rack.

Nothing I would consider super extravagant.

 

[cavmedic]

The debates have raged for time immemorial. But whatever you do, when lightning is coming near, I recommend unplugging all your radios from the antennas and from the power outlets too.

Well this goes against everything Emmcom. Un-hooking and going off the air during an event when could be needed
JUST KIDDING, kinda

 

[Radiomatrix]

If the support mast is metal, you only need to ground the base, no need to run the #4 all the way up to the top.

In a commercial installation, the coax would be bonded to the tower/mast at the top and at the bottom. You'd also have the lightning protection device where the coax enters the home, and that would be grounded.

Good. I will ground the pole/mast to the nearby 8ft grounding rod and then bind this with a piece of solid #4 to a nearby plumbing hose bib or go through the wall to bind a stout piece of plumbing.

I tested continuity in the laundry room from multiple grounded outlets to anything plumbing—-and they were all continuous. Even the hose bib with multiple sharkbite fittings proved continuous.

Now I can bind the antenna and lead a ground wire to the radio’s antenna discharge unit and finally be done and get on with my life !

 

[Radiomatrix]

More than likely “claim denied” or really looked hard into some way to not pay

I dunno, that’s the reason people have insurance for accidents and for stuff you as the homeowner would do. Otherwise they would deny every claim.

 

[Radiomatrix]

The debates have raged for time immemorial. But whatever you do, when lightning is coming near, I recommend unplugging all your radios from the antennas and from the power outlets too. A direct hit, or even a very near hit, is likely to result in destruction event of any equipment coupled to the outside world, in and around the strike. We'll talking 300 billion coulombs of electrons in a small fraction of a second. It has a mind of its own, and it's totally unpredictable about what the outcome is going to be, esp for small time stations. (Professional broadcasters spend vast amounts of money to protect their systems.)

I've been a ham for 40+ years and seen the results of many a strike. I don't bother to ground any more because regardless of whether I ground or not, I'm still going to decouple the equipment in the shack from the outside when the bolts are near. A few months ago a friend of mine in Florida got a direct hit. His station was grounded quite elaborately. Ground rods all over, polyphasers, blah blah blah. It didn't work. Now he just cusses about it, say he'll never waste his time with all the grounding again, and swears he'll always detach the shack when the bolts are heading his way.

But florida is a different animal. Frequency of the daily electrical storm and the fact that FL is flat.

I uncoupling a good idea? I read that static charges build up in an antenna and coax and could act like a capacitor. Can’t believe everything one reads on the internet eh…

 

[Radiomatrix]

I am about 6 feet short of reaching the @#$” grounding rod. To splice do i use those copper bands and crimp or is there a dedicated something for 6awg?

 

[Radiomatrix]

Split bolt

 

[WA0CBW]

Code requires ALL external ground rods be bonded to the main electrical panel ground rod (not plumbing or interior grounds).
BB

 

[mmckenna]

I am about 6 feet short of reaching the @#$” grounding rod. To splice do i use those copper bands and crimp or is there a dedicated something for 6awg?

Splicing is less than ideal.

If it was me, here's what I'd do:
At the base of the mast, I'd put a ground rod. I'd run the #4 from the mast to the rod and attach to the rod using an appropriate clamp for the rod size/wire size.
I'd get a second clamp, and attach the #4 to the rod at the base of the mast and run it half way back to the home ground rod.
I'd drive in a new rod there. Attach said #4 to the rod using appropriate clamp.
I'd then run another length of #4 from that new rod with a second clamp back to the home ground rod with a new clamp.

The additional rod will help lower the resistance of your ground system.
It'll give you a handy place to make the splice.
It'll meet code.


Or, just use split bolts. With a quick look (not doing a deep dive and I'm not a licensed electrician) I did not see anything that said the ground could not be spliced. You absolutely want a good splice if you are going to do this, and I'd probably do 2 split bolts.

Just my opinion.

 

[WA0CBW]

Typically an under ground splice (or connection) should be exothermically welded (no mechanical connections). Mechanical connections should be installed so they can easily be inspected.

 

[prcguy]

Splicing is less than ideal.

If it was me, here's what I'd do:
At the base of the mast, I'd put a ground rod. I'd run the #4 from the mast to the rod and attach to the rod using an appropriate clamp for the rod size/wire size.
I'd get a second clamp, and attach the #4 to the rod at the base of the mast and run it half way back to the home ground rod.
I'd drive in a new rod there. Attach said #4 to the rod using appropriate clamp.
I'd then run another length of #4 from that new rod with a second clamp back to the home ground rod with a new clamp.

The additional rod will help lower the resistance of your ground system.
It'll give you a handy place to make the splice.
It'll meet code.


Or, just use split bolts. With a quick look (not doing a deep dive and I'm not a licensed electrician) I did not see anything that said the ground could not be spliced. You absolutely want a good splice if you are going to do this, and I'd probably do 2 split bolts.

Just my opinion.

You also need to ground the coax as it enters the building.

 

[Radiomatrix]

You also need to ground the coax as it enters the building.

The coax is buried and enters the building through the wall. antenna discharge unit is inside where the coax comes in, bonded to DWV and 3/4” house supply that is bonded to the house ground in the basement when the new addition was built…

 

[bill4long]

Well this goes against everything Emmcom. Un-hooking and going off the air during an event when could be needed
JUST KIDDING, kinda

Roll the dice stat-wise.

God bless