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Thread: Another NOOB

  1. #151
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    Well gentleman my antenna has arrived. I still need my pipe to pipe clamps and the NO OX and some coax and an extra hand and I can get her up!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh and some ground wire and a ground rod and........................................................................

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    222FL (12-09-2015), markus82 (12-08-2015)

  3. #152
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    Take your time and get it all done at once. Don't leave the antenna ungrounded!! Add the ground rod and wire as soon as you add the mast pipe. Just saying this as static or a surge or nearby lightning strike can take out all of your equipment if it's not grounded. All of it!! Radio included. If you add more than one ground rod, which I suggest you do, place them as close to the equipment and mast as possible and then you need to terminate both together with a piece of wire to make it a single ground point system. Do not separate radio and antenna ground rods, they have to be tied together to work correctly! And use the 5/8" ones if you can. Having more than 1 ground rods is a good idea as long as you install them correctly. JMHO about that. Keep us updated and hope all goes smooth with the install. If you do it right it will work like a champ!!

  4. #153
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    There's a whole lot that can be done when manipulating the "ground" wire length. It would be possible to create a counterpoise that would make the antenna appear much higher off the ground than it really is. Besides proper grounding at the antenna mast and lightning arresters, proper grounding is essential at the power source too.

  5. #154
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    Quote Originally Posted by mjd420nova View Post
    There's a whole lot that can be done when manipulating the "ground" wire length. It would be possible to create a counterpoise that would make the antenna appear much higher off the ground than it really is. Besides proper grounding at the antenna mast and lightning arresters, proper grounding is essential at the power source too.
    Interesting, care to elaborate? or maybe point me in the direction for further information.

  6. #155
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    If you look at a dipole antenna, the simplest, the top vertical mast is the active radiator of the electromagnetic wave. Radials, are meant to be a ground potential but if the antenna is isolated from ground, a heavy copper braid wire can provide a ground but the length can be manipulated to create ant antenna that would appear to be any length above ground as you select. This can also become helpful in mobile uses where there are no ground points at the antenna base and the coax length becomes critical. Campers, motorhomes, trailers have fiberglass roofs and as a result, a poor performing antenna and horrible SWR matches. I've used single elements of copper screen glasses into the top and a connection point to create a ground, again the connecting wire length can be adjusted. Single narrow sheets can be arrayed in a circle with connections to each to create a directional elements. Each installation is unique and often takes much trial and error but the end results can be dramatic.

  7. #156
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    We are talking about a base station install here correct?? If so and a vertical antenna is being used, ground all equipment, radio, antenna mast, power supply if needed. All of tie grounds need to be tied together and form a single point ground system. Tnis means if you have 2 or more grounding rods they need to be connected to each other and then all your equipment needs to be connected as well. Radio, power supply (if applicable), surge arresters, radios, amps, and antenna mast all need to be grounded. Some use a ground buss bar like this one to tie all their grounds tied together.
    2-3 ground rods 8ft in length and 5/8" ones seem to work well. You can also get a small ground buss bar as well like the one pictured that will have way less holes and obviously be much smaller. But you get the idea. Read up on commercial tower grounding and how they do it. You'll have a good understanding of what is truly needed then!! JMHO.

  8. #157
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    I will take some photos of some of the things I am planning to use for this "BASE" set up and post them up in the next few days.
    My house was built in 1960 and it is only a small 2 bed room one bath house. All of the wiring in the house is also from 1960 and I mean cloth wrapped 2 wire, wire. Not like wire today with 2 wires with a non-insulated ground wire. "YEAP I KNOW"...................
    I can't rewire the house so I understand I will need to come up with something!

    Challenges, Don't you just love um?..............

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  10. #158
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    There's a whole raft of things that can be done to create artificial grounds. This can be a big help with SWR. Older homes need to have that ground from outside , inside to the rest of the equipment. Three wire outlets provide the ground, two wire, you need to provide one or a surge/spike/strike can wipe out everything and even start a fire. Once any protection device has received an event, must be checked and often replaced as they are sacrificial elements that destroy themselves to protect the circuit and will not work properly anymore. The buss bar is what will be found in todays homes, inside the power panel. Incoming lines to the home need protection too, cable, phone, outside antennas of any type(sat, CB, ham, TV, GMRS, etc). Many power strip/surge protection boxes come with phone and cable ports to protect them but if that box isn't grounded properly, serious damage will occur. Creating a serious ground that is much higher than surround terrain or structures is an invitation to a strike. Serious strikes have been shown to have initiated from a ground strike, preparing a path for the bolt from above.

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    222FL (12-10-2015)

  12. #159
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    Name:  Drawing.jpg
Views: 87
Size:  3.2 KB

    So in the drawing the red circle is where the antenna will be and the yellow square is a window where I plan to run the antenna cable in.This is on the carport and also the area in the house where the radio will be.There is a door and another window on that wall going to the back of the house.

    The coax will come from the antenna and come under the eve of the house and run along the wall above the windows and door and drop down to come in the window to the radio.

    The distance along that wall will be approx. 20 feet then add in the drop at the window. It will be 12 or 15 feet from the antenna to the roof eve. So I guess approx. 35 feet to get in the window with the coax.

    I have a 19-inch computer rack that I thought I may use to mount radio equipment in or on and I have a rack mount power strip / power conditioner that I thought I could use to power everything with. 1 switch will turn everything on / off.


    I could possibly place a ground wire on the outlet the power will come from and run it out the window and along the wall and to the ground rod at the antenna. Again we are talking about 25/30 feet to get to a ground rod at the antenna.

    Will the antenna and the mast both need ground wires? Would there be any need for additional grounding?

    Name:  Rack.JPG
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    Last edited by FATKAT; 12-12-2015 at 08:51 PM.

  13. #160
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    The ground I use enters the house by the shortest route from the nearest stake, I have two. It is flat nickel plated copper braid, substation spec, braised to each rod. A lightning arrestor is between the two, they merge at the station, as the stake at the tower base is my artificial. The artificial is a fake laydown on a wooden panel to allow tap points along an 18 foot section. The ground direct first goes to two TVI filters, one is adjustable. From there onto the station ground buss. It also serves a computer work bench area and the home cable modem and router for the computer gear. The house ground is a double stake affair in a center access space in a closet floor. It goes direct to the power panel and house outlets from there. I keep the artificial ground isolated from the station ground thus the need for the lightning arrestor, it only manipulates the "apparent ground" for the transmission coax that feeds the antenna. The separation point is keeping the RF being generated and its associated ground from the transmitter and the ground from the artificial antenna ground. This does require isolating the clamp down area at the top of the mast for the antenna and providing a secure connection to the ground wire ( it doesn't have to be braid, solid core will do as well).
    The ground provided at the transmitter, the outside conductor of the coax will suffice at the mast, just the physical ground of the antenna itself at the mast. The addition of a lightning arrestor between the two helps the isolation but will arc over and provide a path to ground in the case of a strike. It is also sacrificial in most cases, like surge protectors, they will destroy themselves to provide the protection but it is only a one shot deal. Some power conditioners can be costly and should only be needed under severe conditions. They are also a bit power hunger, adding around an extra hundred watts to a 700 watt load. Coax should be as short as possible with drip loops where needed.

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