On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 16:47:04 GMT, zeno wrote:

Make sure your RF ground is independent of the house AC
safety ground. I also use a constant voltage transformer and a good power
conditioner because the AC here is a mess.

Hi Bill,

The combination of these two statements could kill you. If AC is a
mess, and if you have your own independent ground, then there may come
a day when you connect/disconnect a wire between them (and it is
guaranteed to be there) that has enough potential to blow your fuse.

Think about it. The most common method of connect/disconnect involves
the use of both hands, one wire in each (think of holding onto shelled
connectors), with a path across the heart - classic killer scenario.

Having separate grounds is against code. Being against code it is
also a loophole for insurance to deny a claim if misfortune comes of
this misapplication. Having separate grounds is also bad engineering
and bad noise control. In short, there is no good reason to do it
when it needs to be done right.

What you have the potential for are problems called "ground loops."
Closing or breaking those loops is what brings those problems. There
was a thread in the last week with excellent links to how to do it
right. I don't have them at hand right now, but you should research
or prod me for more.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC