RadioBanter - View Single Post - Getting ready to hook up a random and hav a question...

dxAce · December 19th 06, 01:38 PM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

HFguy wrote:

wrote:

I have read that the best way, quiestest, to hook into a random wire is
at the far end, attach a balun, go thru a ground block attached to a
ground rod, bury the coax as it runs to the house, go thru another
ground block which is connected to another ground rod then into the
house.

I have 2 options here, one is the above (about 150 feet of coax), the
other is to hook into the random at the near end, thru a balun, feed
into the attic to a ground block that has about 40 feet of ground wire
attached coming from the ground rod, then to the receiver.

Which is the better? Is there enough difference to warrant the extra
expense of the 1st option, more coax, over the 2nd?

The first method is better because you can use a short ground wire
between the balun and the ground rod to make an effective RF ground. The
balun should be located close to the ground (earth) so the grounding
wire to the rod can be kept to a minimum length (no more than 2-feet).
The ground wire in the second method is much too long to be an effective
RF ground. It could act more like an antenna for picking up common mode
noise.

Before this thread got started I'd never really heard of the practice of using
the extra length of coax and hooking up the random wire at the far end versus
the closer end.

dxAce
Michigan
USA