Outdoor Antenna Installation Q's
- Thread starter dimab
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jbstahr
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dimab said:
Read the following threads:
http://radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16995&highlight=antenna+grounding
http://radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14364&highlight=antenna+grounding
That should get you started.
I read that and I still have questions. I have a UHF antenna on my roof with 6 radials with a metal brace connecting it to my roof. Should I ground the brace?
Al42
Member
Ground the pole, the mounting bracket if it's not electrically connected to the pole (you can ground it to the pole - but paint doesn't conduct electricity very well, so scrape down to bare metal at the grounding points) and put some kind of static discharge device on the cable. (If you have cable TV, you'll see one type for RG6 cable where the TV cable enters your house, or close to that point.)
The ground system should consist of more than one ground rod - how many depends on the conductivity of the soil - but each rod should be no less than 10 feet long, and they should be connected by a single run of wire. (From rod #1 to rod #2 to rod #3, etc., then to rod #1. The antenna mast can be connected to the nearest rod.) Putting them in a square or rectangular (or triangular, or whatever shape your land suggests) pattern gives you a lower-resistance ground than running them in a straight line.
And, even with a good ground system, it's not a bad idea to disconnect the antenna from the scanner during a thunderstorm. One large hit on the system and your scanner could still become a box full of junk. It's possible for equipment connected to a good ground system to be damaged - it's not possible for lightning to damage equipment not connected to anything lightning will hit or induce voltage into (like power lines).
The ground system should consist of more than one ground rod - how many depends on the conductivity of the soil - but each rod should be no less than 10 feet long, and they should be connected by a single run of wire. (From rod #1 to rod #2 to rod #3, etc., then to rod #1. The antenna mast can be connected to the nearest rod.) Putting them in a square or rectangular (or triangular, or whatever shape your land suggests) pattern gives you a lower-resistance ground than running them in a straight line.
And, even with a good ground system, it's not a bad idea to disconnect the antenna from the scanner during a thunderstorm. One large hit on the system and your scanner could still become a box full of junk. It's possible for equipment connected to a good ground system to be damaged - it's not possible for lightning to damage equipment not connected to anything lightning will hit or induce voltage into (like power lines).
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