Browning 6157 antenna

[Cgodsey]

Bought this antenna for a low profile base station in a subdivision with HOA. It is a zero ground plane and will be mounted on the back of my house at the peak of the second floor roof line. I am new to a base station. Will this work? It won’t be mounted to a mast. Should I ground it or is that overkill on a 4ft fiberglass antenna?

[Jones]

You won't really need to ground it unless your area is prone to lightning, or high winds that would create static when blowing across that fiberglass.  If you would like to ground it, run a #10 stranded wire, such as THHN/THWN from the mount on the antenna to the electrical service ground rod for your house.  Do NOT put in a separate ground rod, unless you plan on bonding it to the service ground.  Also, do not just hook the ground wire to the side of your meter, or an outlet ground, or any pipe or conduit - big mistake.  It is better to run with no ground, than to have it "grounded" in the wrong place.

 

I don't think you will have any issues just leaving it un-grounded.  For best results, use a high-quality coaxial cable designed for UHF, such as LMR-400, to run between the antenna and your radio. Do NOT use a cheap CB coax like RG8x, or you will be disappointed.