Grounding have anything to do with reception?

[safetyobc]

I have my scantenna mounted at about 30' and use the supplied 50' coax. I grounded the antenna with a pretty small wire, I don't know the guage but it is small. The spool it is on says 16 purple stranded copper. I grounded it where the U bolt connects to the antenna (Wire between the antenna and u bolt nut. It is grounded to a copper rod that also grounds my dish network dish. I was wondering if proper grounding would effect reception - mainly I listen to VHF-High. Would a heavier guage grounding wire help improve reception? If not, do I need a heavier guage ground wire for other purposes (close by lightening strikes)? Thanks

 

[N_Jay]

I have my scantenna mounted at about 30' and use the supplied 50' coax. I grounded the antenna with a pretty small wire, I don't know the guage but it is small. The spool it is on says 16 purple stranded copper. I grounded it where the U bolt connects to the antenna (Wire between the antenna and u bolt nut. It is grounded to a copper rod that also grounds my dish network dish. I was wondering if proper grounding would effect reception - mainly I listen to VHF-High. Would a heavier guage grounding wire help improve reception? If not, do I need a heavier guage ground wire for other purposes (close by lightening strikes)? Thanks

You need good grounding for lots of reasons, but I doubt you will notice any difference in reception.

 

[K2KOH]

The grounding is imperative for static discharge off the antenna...if it isn't grounded, static from nearby thunderstorms, snowstorms(believe it or not) and dry air windstorms will travel down the coax instead, and guess what happens to the radio? POOF!

 

[fourwd1]

Plus, that static charge exhibits itself as noise in the receiver.

 

[crippledchicken]

i have a security light out side that put a horrible buzz in all my scanners on weaker signals at night. grounding mine, sure solved that problem.

 

[nmfire10]

I'm trying to picture what a lighting strike will do to that 16ga piece of wire. :shock:

 

[N_Jay]

I'm trying to picture what a lighting strike will do to that 16ga piece of wire. :shock:

But it will bleed of static just fine.

 

[flyingwolf]

I'm trying to picture what a lighting strike will do to that 16ga piece of wire. :shock:

While your at it imagine what a strike will do to a 1 inch steel rod?

It doesnt matter how its grounded if you get a direct strike. Chances of anything survivng is pretty much nil.

But as for static that 16ga should be fine.

 

[mgosdin]

I was given a tour of the Liberty Bank building in downtown Oklahoma City in the 70's. They had lightning rods all around the edge of the roof. They were made of steel and 4 inches at the base tapering to a point after about two feet. Those that had taken direct hits we all either melted or twisted into very interesting shapes.

Mark

 

[Al42]

I'm trying to picture what a lighting strike will do to that 16ga piece of wire. :shock:

Picture nothing. (It's difficult to picture plasma.) Whether it's 16 gauge or an inch of pure silver. A small lightning bolt is millions of amps. Now, what's the minimum reccommended conductor size for 1 million amps?

 

[N_Jay]

I'm trying to picture what a lighting strike will do to that 16ga piece of wire. :shock:

Picture nothing. (It's difficult to picture plasma.) Whether it's 16 gauge or an inch of pure silver. A small lightning bolt is millions of amps. Now, what's the minimum reccommended conductor size for 1 million amps?

There are plenty of towers that take direct hits without damage all the time.

 

[Al42]

I'm trying to picture what a lighting strike will do to that 16ga piece of wire. :shock:

Picture nothing. (It's difficult to picture plasma.) Whether it's 16 gauge or an inch of pure silver. A small lightning bolt is millions of amps. Now, what's the minimum reccommended conductor size for 1 million amps?

There are plenty of towers that take direct hits without damage all the time.

And plenty that don't survive. It depends on the impedance of the tower and the size of the stroke.

 

[Pro-95]

While we are talking about direct hits.

On many older homes you see lightning rods. Much like our antennas up above the roofline to hopefully attract the strike and channel the energy down a gound line and into a rod buried underground.

Are these lightning rods a one time use or is it something actually capable of surviving and ready and waiting for when lightining strikes twice.

Did/do they work?

 

[Raccon]

Now, what's the minimum reccommended conductor size for 1 million amps?

If you consider the time factor than you don't need to dimension the conductor for a permanent current of 1 million amp, i.e. it can have a much smaller cross-section.

Are these lightning rods a one time use or is it something actually capable of surviving and ready and waiting for when lightining strikes twice.

They are not meant for one-time use only but if they should get damaged a replacement is necessary.

Did/do they work?

Their main purpose is to provide the lightning with a direct path to ground. Weren't the rods there the risk of the lightning finding itself another way would be very high, possibly damaging wiring or equipment and potentially endangering human life.

The more you spend the better protection you get, though nobody can give you a 100% guarantee; a good lightning protection and grounding system however is always better than none at all.

 

[nmfire10]

It worked fine in Back To The Future..... :wink:

 

[rinkerk]

RE: Antenna grounding

After about a five year vacation from antenna design and installation,
I decided to start another antenna configuriation at my new home here in NM.
The elevation is much higher than the previous QTH and after a hard days work,we decided to mount the antennas to a 40 FT. mast. we left the coax hanging out the window to the shack.
A breif electrical storm passed by with not much lighning exept a few stikes about 5-10 miles away. After a long day and the wind calmed down,
I heard a my coaxes snap-crackle pop.
( Thank God I HAD'NT CONNECTED THEM TO THE RADIOS. )
The static on the coax was enough to give you a sharp bite on the hand when you picked them up!
Goes to show ya that lighning and static ( from high winds etc. ) from a distance can do some real damage to your equipment.
I have on order some gas discharge connectors and a plan for grounding all radios seperate from inside wiring.
Get the best equipment for grounding your antennas and radios and always disconnect your radios when not in use.
Hope that helps.......
Regards

 

[CookeCityScanner]

I just grounded the mast on my RS Discone and it definitely seemed to get rid of some static noise on some channels. At first it was just a straight path toa 4' copper pole in the ground. Then I rerouted it in more cosmetically appealing way and it seems like some of the static is back. I tried to keep it from touching anything besides the plastic wire holders so that nothing would conduct off of it. I dont know. I think good grounding can improve reception quality.

Now I need to ground the coax.