Mounting scanner antenna and tv antennas near each other

[PrivatelyJeff]

Would there be any problem to mounting them close to each other? My plan is to get some galvanized pipe, put a cross on it and then on the top part (1-2 feet higher) place the scanner (discone) on top, then off the sides of the cross, a directional tv antenna (each pointing in different directions) for television viewing.

SCANNER ANTENNA
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TV———+———TV
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[jonwienke]

If all the antennas are RX only, that should be fine.

 

[bchappuie]

The scanner antenna might work a little better with a couple feet of horizontal separation.

 

[i386]

Yes you can do it. I have had that setup before on a tower a Channel Master 1160A and a Radio Shack Discone. Discone was about 5 feet above the Channel Master. Those were good days for TV and scanning where I lived on a hill with an antenna on a tower got great reception.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

Can they share a ground wire all the way to the ground? I believe you shouldn’t connect one ground block to another but can they all connect to a common busbar then from the busbar to the electrical panel on the side of the house (the feedlines will enter the house at the roof).

 

[jonwienke]

Can they share a ground wire all the way to the ground? I believe you shouldn’t connect one ground block to another

Wrong. Per NEC (National electrical code), all grounds are supposed to be tied together.

Best practice would be to have a ground wire going directly from the antennas to a ground rod at the base of the tower/mast, so there is a direct path for lightning to follow to ground that doesn't involve a trip through your house. Then have a separate ground wire connecting the ground rod at the base of the antenna tower/mast to the utility service ground rod, by the shortest and most direct path possible. Ground wires should be #6 AWG or larger IIRC.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

Wrong. Per NEC (National electrical code), all grounds are supposed to be tied together.

Best practice would be to have a ground wire going directly from the antennas to a ground rod at the base of the tower/mast, so there is a direct path for lightning to follow to ground that doesn't involve a trip through your house. Then have a separate ground wire connecting the ground rod at the base of the antenna tower/mast to the utility service ground rod, by the shortest and most direct path possible. Ground wires should be #6 AWG or larger IIRC.

the mast is on the house. It will be a 1 inch metal pipe about 10 feet long, with a cross , that will then split headed up about another 18 inches for the scanner antenna, and left and right with a tv antenna on each side at the cross.

They will be grounded to the electrical panel as there is no accessible ground rod for the utility.

 

[jonwienke]

the mast is on the house. They will be grounded to the electrical panel as there is no ground rod for the utility.

Having a ground rod for utility power service has been mandatory for decades. It may be buried completely, but there is almost certainly one there somewhere. Look for a fat bare copper wire going from your electric meter box to ground. If there isn't one, you should contact whoever installed your wiring and have a conversation with them that makes frequent use of the word "attorney".

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

Having a ground rod for utility power service has been mandatory for decades. It may be buried completely, but there is almost certainly one there somewhere. Look for a fat bare copper wire going from your electric meter box to ground. If there isn't one, you should contact whoever installed your wiring and have a conversation with them that makes frequent use of the word "attorney".

I don’t doubt we have one, just not one that can be accessed. It’s “Entombed” in the service pipe that comes from the ground.
For a reference, the cable tv line is also grounded to the meter box as well.

 

[jonwienke]

I don’t doubt we have one, just not one that can be accessed. It’s “Entombed” in the service pipe that comes from the ground.
For a reference, the cable tv line is also grounded to the meter box as well.

That doesn't sound right. Unless the buried service conduit is metal, there should be a ground rod in the area where electrical service enters the house. And if the buried service conduit is metal and being used as a ground rod, there should still be a fat bare copper wire between the meter box and the conduit.

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

That doesn't sound right. Unless the buried service conduit is metal, there should be a ground rod in the area where electrical service enters the house. And if the buried service conduit is metal and being used as a ground rod, there should still be a fat bare copper wire between the meter box and the conduit.

I believe it’s in the service conduit. I can look again tomorrow but we’ve been in this house for almost 30 years and I’ve never seen the wire and we’ve replaced the panel once and have had two separate solar systems installed so we’ve been inspected multiple times without issue.