More on Grounding (

[@timmack2415]

I'm so, so glad you are doing more on grounding. In my experience, hams are blissfully unaware about the difference between grounding and bonding; NEC requirements or the need for discharge units BEFORE any cable or coax enters a dwelling. I see dozens of videos where hams hammer a ground rod, connect it to their antenna and call it a day.

[@rickeaston3228]

I don't know why new hams are obsessed with grounding. I have had stations since the 1060's and I have never had any kind of RF grounds except the green ground on power cables. I have had no RF problems, ever.

[@lomgshorts3]

I got mine from Frontier Communications 1" width and 3/8 th inch thick. I "liberated" ten (25') boxes before I retired. I use them for station ground and vertical antennas to a hydro drilled 10' copper pipe 3/4" in diameter for the Station ground and vertical antennas. I also grounded my aluminum roof to the ground system so I can have more safety. With the grounding pipes, I filled the pipes with a mixture,of copper sulfate and bentonite to increase ground conductivity. After 20 years, I have had no problems with lightning getting into the shack. My end fed antenna for 160 meters has a #10 gauge counterpoise following it and terminated with a carbon pile 10 ohm resistor that can handle 100 watts. I use a Heathkit SA-2060 tuner that has handled 3kw in the past without any power lost or the tuner heating up at all. Someday, when the 3-500Z tubes get soft, I will rewire the linear (a Henry on the pedestal) to accept soft start and a Russian tube with forced ventilation. I haven't decided which tube to use yet. The twin 811A 6M linear has worked very well that I built from a 73 Magazine article, but the farthest I have reached was Wales on 25 Watts barefoot with a Yaesu FT-690R MK II and before I built the linear. Great little Yaesu rig! I have a FT-625 RD that I am working on to use for my mobile hill topping rig (cost me $10 because it didn't work). Grounds are so very important because of the reflection of your signal is there for most vertical and some dipole and end fed antennas.

[@williambarrett70]

Glad to see you using braid and then explaining how RF travels on the surface. Another great episode, Dave. Thanks and 73. WW5MB

[@PaulaBean]

Dave, you're a fountain of knowledge. I didn't know ground connections always have to be crimped and not soldered!

[@donaldsmith3048]

Talking about the heat on grounds. I live in Florida where there is a lot of sand also a lot of lighting. I have seen ground rods with glass around it. The heat needed to form glass is well above what will distroy solder!

[@AC3HT]

Thanks Dave, for the video. Another great 'Omni-Oggie' presentation. 🗼 Truly, information for everyone. 73, AC3HT

[@larsonl6376]

do you use that treadmill very much? note: the one behind the operating position, which you are standing on to show us the braiding. I personally use ours to hang cloths on.

[@scorpio415]

Hello! Hope this isn't a stupid question, but I need to know. I understand about the copper pipe and braid, but how to attach it to the radio? Is it any screw on the base frame? I bought a rci-2995dx hp and get everything setting up. Thank You, John from Missouri...

[@ptlmbutler]

Hey Dave, love your content. Always very informative. Quick question - does your grounding/bonding rod on the back of the desk connect to your exterior grounding rod or anything else?

[@junior53329]

Where would you mount the grounding braids at on the Raido? If your useing a Mobel for a base station

[@K2CTC]

Also, my house is 1958 w/ original plumbing. Still has some beefy old grounding clamps on the faucets. Good for grounding to a faucet outside and from there to the junction box?

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Thanks Dave. I too, have my utility ground on the opposite corner of my house from my shack. It is too difficult for me to bond directly to the utility ground so I will have to settle for a local ground rod directly under my second floor shack window. I have two questions: The half-meter tall concrete foundation of my house is laced with steel rebar. Can a screw point on the rebar directly under my window serve as a ground connection point? There's also an aluminum fence anchored in concrete running a meter or so behind my house. Can that serve as my ground point? The fence would certainly make a convenient attachment point.

[@kb6lcw99]

Good info!

[@tomstange7762]

Hi Dave, are You talking about a DC/AC ground or hf-ground?....when living in Belgium upstairs in the house the grounding system of my shack was done with a long wire to the ground rood in the garden and I still had RFI problems, hot Key etc...I was using a quarter wave hf-grounding directly connected to my transceiver ...and all my RFI probs were solved ...which I use still today ....73s es regards Tom, dl9zal/on9ccv

[@PureKNFDrake]

looks like that treadmill doesn't get used much?

[@danieljohnson8437]

Solder everything! Continuity.

[@davecasler]

Soldering on ground wires is not best practice. Crimp or use a purpose-built clamp.

[@timbacchus]

A great pointer abut no solder on ground brades

[@jamesjorquez6774]

Dave I enjoy your KZbin videos and look to them for sound technical advice. BUT We really should do a serious technical study on the merits of connecting the Ham radio ground system to the utility ground rod. I myself don't think it is wise; because the neutral and ground are bonded at the service entrance. That means neutral currents have two paths back to the transformer (transformer neutral is also grounded). It is very likley that there is current flowing to or from the utility ground rod. I wouldn't want to have that noise contaminate my pristine Ham radio ground system. K7DPO... 73's

[@dougtaylor7724]

I still remember the video when Dave said Ground is where electrons go to die.

[@K2CTC]

[@Mesa_Mike]

There sure is a lot of obsession and mythology on the topic of grounding a modern ham radio station.

[@ats89117]

Fun fact, the conductivity of seawater is about a million times less than the conductivity of copper...

[@nbulls28]

Hello Dave I have a question about this subject. I helped a ham buddy ground his station A few months ago. We made a ground plane on his table to set all his equipment on top of it from there everything get around it to a copper pipe with copper flat pipe strap. And out the window to a 8 foot ground rod. This ground rod is bonded to another 8 foot rod about 8 feet away. Then to main utility ground on the house. We use 6 gauge bare copper wire. A week later or so my ham buddy disconnected the main bond to the house because others told him it wasn’t a good idea because or ground loops. Unfortunately his station got hit by lightning not too long ago. He had very minimal damage he was able to salvage his amplifier and radios. He was very angry about the situation because he never believe on grounding. And thought that grounding was a very bad idea. I just need your opinion on this. Is it a good idea to disconnect RF grounding when a storm is approaching? This will take forever. What are your thoughts on that?

[@DaveSheeks]

Grounding seems to be HOT these days...

[@BobHolowenko]

This joke has potential ;)

[@DaveSheeks]

@@BobHolowenko I’m neutral on the subject.

[@Trinitystillmyname]

Dave, your ideas seem well enough. Your execution is well meaning. I have to respectfully disagree on your use of braided vs regular stranded wire to any piece of equipment. Braid is overkill. Especially when the antenna coax is typically #10 stranded ( lmr400) or less. It is like using a moped to pull a semi trailer. I also get confused by your intent when speaking about bonding, and grounding. Trying to keep it simple here. You GROUND your equipment in your shack. You BOND your equipment to a dwelling unit's existing electrical grounding system, so that all grounds may be on the same plane per NEC. Running wire from antenna grounding to electrical grounding can be done outside. But can just as safely/ easily be BONDED inside.

[@rickeaston3228]

Braid is not considered good for conducting RF. The braid does not necessarily have direct contact with all other adjacent strands along the whole length. It's more like a large bunch of small conductors of very small diameter in parallel. Skin effect is in play. But I do use it at HF frequencies but I won't use it when VHF or higher frequencies are involved.

[@willhansen6922]

The length of your braids defeat the purpose of what you are trying to accomplish (which is another topic)

[@Trinitystillmyname]

One more thought. In the event of a severe electrical ( thunder) storm, most radio enthusiest unplug there equipment from power sources, and disconnect antenna feedline(s) from equipment. But your grounding/ bonding system still is providing a electrical path for lightening to get to your shack/ equipment. Perhaps installing a disconnect ( say a cheap air conditioning disconnect) to break the continuity of the grounding/ bonding electrical path to the radio equipment would be a even better additional solution.

[@Father4ev3r]

Verify interesting concept; I like it! Now you've got me thinking... wonder if a high current automotive/marine battery disconnect would work, allowing indoor station based disconnect? Furthermore, I wonder how this would impact electrically disconnected station equipment (possible static buildup?), since the equipment would now be effectively group "grounded"?

[@Trinitystillmyname]

@@Father4ev3r all of your equipment should be grounded. Therefore, it will be bonded.....by the common ground that the whole dwelling unit shares. If I hooked three transcievers up together with a single wire, that is BONDING them together. When you run a ground rod into dirt outside and conect your 3 transcievers.....you have just GROUNDED them

[@Father4ev3r]

@@Trinitystillmyname I get the whole GROUNDING scenario, I'm asking about disconnecting the single point ground (bar to rod during a lightening storm type event) and how that could affect any equipment, since none of it would be referenced to an actual earth ground. The premise is to understand whether or not that type of manual disconnect could be effectively implemented.

[@Trinitystillmyname]

It can easily be done. Bring your station ground and bonding ground in to the " line in " side of the disconect. Now bring off the bottom " load out" side of disconect to station ground/bonding bar. Or the rest of equipment. Bringing your ground and bonding together satifies NEC by keeping all grounds bonded together. Since you will not be operating your station when disconnect is open position because thunderstorm, no issues should arise from not having ground on station.

[@Trinitystillmyname]

You can add a second disconnect to disconnect your power to the shack also, or just unplug it.

[@jjh4961]

Looks like the wife needs to reorg and label. 👍

[@Father4ev3r]

Thanks! Great work you do for the community, love the vids, keep it up! 73; KF5PFS

[@sleeve8651]

I wish you really wouldn't have shown us that mess ! Holy cow ! Come on......Dave ! You can do better than that ! Especially if you want people to respect your opinion ! You should be ashamed ! ☝️🤨

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you. N0QFT