Antenna/Coax Grounding

[Guest NotMakingTrouble]

Browsing the interwebs reveals there is a wide variance in opinion about how to properly ground an antenna/coax system. Asking about it seems to be a good way to start a food fight. That's not my intent here; I'm just trying to nail down "right" in my effort to keep the installation safe.

As my point of reference I'm starting with this interpretation of the NEC. and repeated in the articles found here and here. My takeaway is the grounding goes to the rod at the service panel. What I'm not sure about is the need to run two separate wires to the rod as is shown in the illustrations in the video and articles referenced above. They show the wire from the antenna mast going to the rod and a totally separate wire going from the arrestor to the rod. What I'm wondering.... my question is... can those two wires not be connected together so that a single wire runs to the rod? Illustration of my specific situation below.

The interpretation of the NEC in the above references suggests I need two ground wires running side-by-side the long (and expensive) distance to the rod. Illustration here. What I'm wondering about is whether two separate wires are actually required. Can I not tie the two wires together at the mast as illustrated here?

Thanks in advance for any advice you're willing to share.

 

[OffRoaderX]

No matter what someone posts, someone else is going come along and post the opposite- and both will decree that they are correct because they took a test and are therefore "experts".

Good luck.

[WRYZ926]

Yes there are many opinions on this subject. Your best bet is to follow NEC when it comes to grounding your antennas, coax, and radios.

Here are a couple of other links that will be helpful for you.

https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf

https://www.arrl.org/grounding

GMRS and amateur radio antennas, coax and equipment require the same grounding techniques.

[SteveShannon]

15 minutes ago, Guest NotMakingTrouble said:

Browsing the interwebs reveals there is a wide variance in opinion about how to properly ground an antenna/coax system. Asking about it seems to be a good way to start a food fight. That's not my intent here; I'm just trying to nail down "right" in my effort to keep the installation safe.

As my point of reference I'm starting with this interpretation of the NEC. and repeated in the articles found here and here. My takeaway is the grounding goes to the rod at the service panel. What I'm not sure about is the need to run two separate wires to the rod as is shown in the illustrations in the video and articles referenced above. They show the wire from the antenna mast going to the rod and a totally separate wire going from the arrestor to the rod. What I'm wondering.... my question is... can those two wires not be connected together so that a single wire runs to the rod? Illustration of my specific situation below.

The interpretation of the NEC in the above references suggests I need two ground wires running side-by-side the long (and expensive) distance to the rod. Illustration here. What I'm wondering about is whether two separate wires are actually required. Can I not tie the two wires together at the mast as illustrated here?

Thanks in advance for any advice you're willing to share.

 

You do not need two separate parallel conductors. You’re allowed to bond them together where they physically intersect. Understand that bonding is required to be permanent, using connections that cannot be easily undone.  Typical bonding methods include thermite copper welding or crimped connectors, not bolted cable clamps. 
The Mike Holt videos are very good. The Bible for comm site lightning protection is R56 from Motorola, but it’s very complicated and overkill for anyone other than a professional communications technician. 
I really like the succinct approach taken by the Reeve document.  It agrees with the Holt videos well:

https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf

 

[WRXL702]

The Motorola R56 Manual Is The Standard Used By Most Public Safety Communication Sites For System Grounding.

Tap / Click On Chapters 4 & 5 To View.

 

https://northgeorgiacommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Motorola-Standards-and-Guidelines-for-Communication-Sites-R56-Manual.pdf

[WRUE951]

  https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf

 

https://thenecwiki.com/2021/02/article-810/

[WRYZ926]

The reeve.com PDF file must be a good reference considering three of us have posted links to it. 

And nothing will protect your setup from a direct lightening strike. Read through the references we provided and go with what works best for you and still meets NEC. 

PS: definitely unplug everything before hand if you know a lightening storm is heading your way.

 

[Guest NotMakingTrouble]

2 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

You do not need two separate parallel conductors. You’re allowed to bond them together where they physically intersect.

Excellent. Thanks for that.