Antenna grounding

[vo1ks]

You have to realize that DC ground and RF ground are not always the same. I've seen 5/8 inch cable arc and burn holes through the outer jacket when it was attached to the reflector of an antenna. The entire antenna was bolted to the tower. DC wise the entire thing was one huge short circuit, but there were very high RF voltages present throughout various parts. Total antenna power was about 40kW.

The spade terminal on the end of the line was just part of a larger overall grounding arrangement that included toroid chokes, AC panel bonding, etc. If your station is near the AC panel, it could be a convenient way to ground the antenna line before it gets to the radio.

 

[hookedon6]

...The spade terminal on the end of the line was just part of a larger overall grounding arrangement...

good info, solid mechanical connections are best,.............. soldered connections have a habit of becoming UNsoldered @ high current loads

 

[vo1ks]

Soldered connections are not always good outdoors either...

good info, solid mechanical connections are best,.............. soldered connections have a habit of becoming UNsoldered @ high current loads

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I never solder ground connections. I make a good solid mechanical connection first and then depending on where it is in the system I may use silfoss or bronze to "weld" it together. Solder has a nasty habit of vaporizing just when you need it the most.

 

[ONAWHIM]

Consider your house to have two ground systems. You have an antenna ground and your AC ground. Your transmitter and other radio equipment will act as a jumper between the two. If there is a ground surge coming on the AC line it will try to dissipate through the antenna ground. Similarly a tower surge or lightning strike will attempt to dissipate through the AC ground. Your equipment between them could pass a great amount of current and potentially become damaged. You need to create a very low impedance path directly between the two grounds, and a high impedance path through your equipment.

The third plug in your AC cords is not suitable for this job...

I've summarized my thoughts, and included grounding documents and broadcast radio station design information in this document.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/grounding.pdf

Many thanks for developing the document and sharing.
I appreciate your efforts.

This should be a sticky and not limited to the CB Antenna area.
(Please excuse me if it is)

Wm.



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