Grounding HELP Please

[john1969]

Hoping to find some grounding experts. Bought a antenna Antenna Supermarket Eavesdropper Antenna This has a Zap Trapper (Antenna Super Market Zap Trapper Twinlead ) that must be ground. I will also be grounding the receiver Rad. Shack DX 394. The Zap Trapper I will ground using 6 gauge ground wire to a 5 ft. rod. And the receiver using 10 ( or more? ) feet of strap Groundstrap Cable to the same rod.

Questions: 1) Is it OK for the ground wires/straps to touch? I'm trying to drill as few holes as possible and would like to run the two through the same hole to the rod outside.

2) The lug/loops on the strap Groundstrap Cable anyone think it's OK to add 5ft to the 10ft strap just in case I need more length? Using copper/whatever nuts/bolts?

Thanks!!

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

This is a dipole antenna fed by a coaxial cable according to the web site. As such it needs no R.F. ground as it is a balanced antenna. It does require a ground link to shunt static voltages to ground, but this if for lightning protection, not for reception. Your ground lead should make no difference to reception and will only be used to shunt high voltage static buildups to ground. The ground wire should be as thick and as short as possible for this, but it should have no effect one way or the other on reception.

 

[WA0CBW]

Ed is right on. The Zap Trapper Twinlead is for balanced feedline (twinlead or ladder line). Standard Green jacketed #6 electrical wire would work just as good as the ground strap cable. The Zap Trapper is a "surge arrestor" device and should be mounted near the entrance to the building. If you are using coax then a different type of surge arrestor device made for coaxial cable should be used. The radio ground wire could also be Green jacketed #6 electrical wire. The ground strap cable does have an advantage if the radio is going to moved around because it is more flexible. Both ground cables can connect to the same ground rod. The NEC (National Electrical Code) doesn't usually allow multiple connections to a ground rod unless the clamp is specifically designed for that purpose. Also the NEC requires that ALL external ground rods be connected to the main building electrical ground.
As Ed said these measures are for lightning and electrical safety and would not have any effect on reception. Other types of antennas (verticals for example) may also require an "RF" ground for improved performance.
BB

 

[john1969]

Thanks gentlemen!