WRWE744 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 What is the best way to ground a base station antenna so my equipment or house isn't fried by lightening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Sshannon Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 46 minutes ago, WRWE744 said: What is the best way to ground a base station antenna so my equipment or house isn't fried by lightening? Literally books have been written about this exact subject. The gold standard is a book that Motorola put together and which is found on the BLM site. Here it is: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Lands_ROW_Motorola_R56_2005_manual.pdf But for most of us this next article is more easily understandable and do-able: https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf Also, if you’re a ham and a member of ARRL there’s an excellent (albeit somewhat technical) article in the latest QST magazine by an engineer whose brother started lightning protection company Polyphasor. I cannot link to it, but it does a great job of explaining why timing is everything and why everything must be grounded to a single ground at some point to prevent damaging voltage differentials. gortex2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KAF6045 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 For the ARRL /book/ on the subject, I don't think one needs to be an ARRL member to hit the store... Grounding and Bonding for the Radio Amateur 2nd Edition https://home.arrl.org/action/Store/Product-Details/productId/133989 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KAF6045 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 IGNORE - DUPLICATE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Lscott Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 3 hours ago, WRWE744 said: What is the best way to ground a base station antenna so my equipment or house isn't fried by lightening? Here is some material to look over. Lightning Protection Grounding Solutions for Communication Sites.pdf Grounding Tips for the Shack.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 diddlyv Posted April 14 Report Share Posted April 14 Does it make sense to ground directly to the Electrical system ground near the power box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 WRWR489 Posted April 14 Report Share Posted April 14 Ground it to house electrical ground rod by the meter. If use use a ground rod at the antenna, bond it to the house ground also. Sshannon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 WRUU653 Posted April 14 Report Share Posted April 14 21 minutes ago, diddlyv said: Does it make sense to ground directly to the Electrical system ground near the power box? Yes. Your home should be all bonded at the main panel so the main ground rod is ideal. Don’t cut or interrupt the grounding wire from the panel though. For instance if it comes from the panel and continues to say a water bond as that wire should be a continuous run with no splices at the ground rod or two separate runs to the main panel. You may need a separate clamp for your antenna ground. As a point of caution I always recommend a licensed electrician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 diddlyv Posted April 14 Report Share Posted April 14 22 minutes ago, WRUU653 said: Yes. Your home should be all bonded at the main panel so the main ground rod is ideal. Don’t cut or interrupt the grounding wire from the panel though. For instance if it comes from the panel and continues to say a water bond as that wire should be a continuous run with no splices at the ground rod or two separate runs to the main panel. You may need a separate clamp for your antenna ground. As a point of caution I always recommend a licensed electrician. Well for a few more feet of coax I can mount the antenna generally over the ground stake vs pounding another 15 or so feet away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 WRUU653 Posted April 14 Report Share Posted April 14 5 minutes ago, diddlyv said: Well for a few more feet of coax I can mount the antenna generally over the ground stake vs pounding another 15 or so feet away I'm not sure what you mean exactly by "over the ground" and maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are saying but I wouldn't obstruct the ground rod or it's connections. Run a wire to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Sshannon Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 2 hours ago, diddlyv said: Well for a few more feet of coax I can mount the antenna generally over the ground stake vs pounding another 15 or so feet away. You shouldn’t drive another ground rod in either case. Your antenna shield and lightning protection should be bonded to the electrical system ground. Just run more solid bare copper wire, #8 or larger diameter. Save the coax and run the wire to bond to the ground. WRXX738 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 diddlyv Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 1 hour ago, Sshannon said: You shouldn’t drive another grind rod in either case. Your antenna shield and lightning protection should be bonded to the electrical system ground. Just run more solid bare copper wire, #8 or larger diameter. Save the coax and run the wire to bond to the ground. well was trying to get shortest straightest ground and not have ground wire drop 20 feet and move 15 foot horizontally and bend over top of block wall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Sshannon Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 5 minutes ago, diddlyv said: well was trying to get shortest straightest ground and not have ground wire drop 20 feet and move 15 foot horizontally and bend over top of block wall I would drill a hole through the block wall. If you have two grounds you can end up with a current between them that can do anything from causing an annoying hum to destroying equipment in between them. WRUU653 and WRXX738 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 diddlyv Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 Just now, Sshannon said: I would drill a hole through the block wall. If you have two grounds you can end up with a current between them that can do anything from causing an annoying hum to destroying equipment in between them. Sometimes trying to satisfy everything can be frustrating ground shortest most direct route no 90 degree bends heavy wire bonded with other grounds vs antenna cable shortest run no loops lightning arrestor cable it self grounded lowest possible impedance ad astra. the drilling a hole in the block wall is a great idea. now to counter the lateral load on the antenna from ground wire or strap straps being better for carrying load. Good news don't have to get all figured out today and installed tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 WRUU653 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 @diddlyv You could have multiple ground rods but they would absolutely need to be bonded together and the wire running from one to the next needs to be uninterrupted (no splice). First because you need to be bonded at the main service and two because of what @Sshannon described. So either way you are running wire back to the main ground rod. Sshannon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KAF6045 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 4 hours ago, WRWR489 said: Ground it to house electrical ground rod by the meter. If use use a ground rod at the antenna, bond it to the house ground also. Presuming one has a ground rod at the meter. My subdivision (built circa 1970) actually runs the meter box ground wire through the basement wall where it clamps to the cold water piping (and relies upon a shorting bar to bridge the water meter itself which is about 60ft of copper pipe away from the ground clamp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Sshannon Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 6 hours ago, WRUU653 said: @diddlyv You could have multiple ground rods but they would absolutely need to be bonded together and the wire running from one to the next needs to be uninterrupted (no splice). First because you need to be bonded at the main service and two because of what @Sshannon described. So either way you are running wire back to the main ground rod. Thanks! Much better than how mine read. I agree, having an additional ground rod isn’t by itself bad as long as it’s not a separate ground rod. It must be bonded to the system ground, regardless of how that system ground is provided, whether it’s a length of copper pipe, an ufer ground (rebar in concrete), or an eight foot ground rod in the ground. If multiple ground rods are bonded together, it’s ideal to space them about two times their depth apart. WRUU653 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 WRUU653 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 7 hours ago, Sshannon said: Thanks! Much better than how mine read. I agree, having an additional ground rod isn’t by itself bad as long as it’s not a separate ground rod. It must be bonded to the system ground, regardless of how that system ground is provided, whether it’s a length of copper pipe, an ufer ground (rebar in concrete), or an eight foot ground rod in the ground. If multiple ground rods are bonded together, it’s ideal to space them about two times their depth apart. I knew what you were referring to. I can tell you understand this stuff. I was just trying to clarify it a bit. Sshannon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Sshannon Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 5 hours ago, WRUU653 said: I was just trying to clarify it a bit. You did and I appreciate it. WRUU653 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 WRWR489 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 Not Being mean, but pretty sure I mentioned this % posts ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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WRWE744
What is the best way to ground a base station antenna so my equipment or house isn't fried by lightening?
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