Base Antenna Mounting
 

Planning to install a base antenna as soon as things warm up and could use some
help..........

So far I have an Imax 99 antenna.
I was thinking of attaching it to the garage side of my house which is about~20
feet high at the peak.
I would take a 5' piece of antenna mast and pound it several feet into the
ground to secure the bottom and then attach 2 more 10' pieces on top of that.
The mast could be secured to the house with several of those wall mount
brackets.
How does this sound so far?

Now I understand that it must be grounded. Would having the bottom section of
mast pounded into the ground as I mentioned suffice? or will I need to attach
it to a seperate 8' ground rod? If a seperate rod is needed, do I attach the
ground wire to the antenna mounting plate or the mast or either? Near the top
of the mast or near the bottom?

I also have read of the need for a 'static discharge unit' for my coax. Could
anyone recommend one? Google searches are not helping me out much.

Have some more questions, but this seems enough for now.
Any help would be really appreciated. I've been trying to piece information
together from the web, but still need some more help.
Thanks!

Richard Cranium wrote:
(Zeeeeeeee3) wrote in message ...

Planning to install a base antenna as soon as things warm up and could use some
help..........

So far I have an Imax 99 antenna.
I was thinking of attaching it to the garage side of my house which is about~20
feet high at the peak.
I would take a 5' piece of antenna mast and pound it several feet into the
ground to secure the bottom and then attach 2 more 10' pieces on top of that.
The mast could be secured to the house with several of those wall mount
brackets.
How does this sound so far?


It sounds like it'll wobble, but it should hold the antenna. For best
performance, however you'll need to get the base of the antenna a
minimum of one wavelength (about 36 feet) off the ground, and I don't
recommend you use 10 foot mast sections for that.


Now I understand that it must be grounded. Would having the bottom section of
mast pounded into the ground as I mentioned suffice? or will I need to attach
it to a seperate 8' ground rod? If a seperate rod is needed, do I attach the
ground wire to the antenna mounting plate or the mast or either? Near the top
of the mast or near the bottom?


I'd use an 8 foot Ground rod installed close to the bottom of the
mast, then connect them with the largest wire (or braid) you can find.
Assuming decent connections between the mast sections you should make
the connection at the bottom of the mast. In most locations (unless
you live in a swamp) you need to go down five feet before you make a
good Ground connection anyhow.


I also have read of the need for a 'static discharge unit' for my coax. Could
anyone recommend one? Google searches are not helping me out much.


Check out Universal Radio on the web. They have those units.


Have some more questions, but this seems enough for now.
Any help would be really appreciated. I've been trying to piece information
together from the web, but still need some more help.
Thanks!


if you intend to use a ground rod try and keep it at least 4' away from
the foundation of the house as many times contractors will back fill
around it with all sorts of stuff when the house is going up.
i dug a 3 foot pit and put 4 rods at 90d intervals (for stability) with
a 5' pole in the middle as a base and filled it with cement.

Zeeeeeeee3 wrote:

Planning to install a base antenna as soon as things warm up and could use some
help..........

So far I have an Imax 99 antenna.
I was thinking of attaching it to the garage side of my house which is about~20
feet high at the peak.
I would take a 5' piece of antenna mast and pound it several feet into the
ground to secure the bottom and then attach 2 more 10' pieces on top of that.
The mast could be secured to the house with several of those wall mount
brackets.
How does this sound so far?

Now I understand that it must be grounded. Would having the bottom section of
mast pounded into the ground as I mentioned suffice? or will I need to attach
it to a seperate 8' ground rod? If a seperate rod is needed, do I attach the
ground wire to the antenna mounting plate or the mast or either? Near the top
of the mast or near the bottom?

I also have read of the need for a 'static discharge unit' for my coax. Could
anyone recommend one? Google searches are not helping me out much.

Have some more questions, but this seems enough for now.
Any help would be really appreciated. I've been trying to piece information
together from the web, but still need some more help.
Thanks!

I do not worry about a static discharge if the antenna is grounded. Hell, if
lightning its your house all you are going to worry about is your radio? I am
thinking this is a good time to have the insurance paid up...

--
Mike
reply: m3425man at bevcomm.net

Powered by Mandrake Linux since 5 February, 2003

Idiots (monkeys) can be trained, though morons are out of luck...

Then there are those leaders who make policies and decisions based
on whatever they dream up. They reject recommendations from the
people on the ground or those who have excellent knowledge of the
operations. I call them "combat confusers."

I do not worry about a static discharge if the antenna is grounded. Hell, if
lightning its your house all you are going to worry about is your radio? I
am
thinking this is a good time to have the insurance paid up...

Is the static discharge unit only to protect the radio? I was under the
impression that it would also help prevent lightning strikes.
Thanks

From: (Zeeeeeeee3)
I do not worry about a static discharge if the antenna is grounded.
Hell, if lightning its your house all you are going to worry about is
your radio? I am
thinking this is a good time to have the insurance paid up...
_
Is the static discharge unit only to protect the

radio? I was under the impression that it would
also help prevent lightning strikes. Thanks



All bets are off with a lightning strike. No device can offer 100%
protection against a direct strike.

In ,
(Twistedhed) wrote:

From: (Zeeeeeeee3)
I do not worry about a static discharge if the antenna is grounded.
Hell, if lightning its your house all you are going to worry about is
your radio? I am
thinking this is a good time to have the insurance paid up...
_
Is the static discharge unit only to protect the

radio? I was under the impression that it would
also help prevent lightning strikes. Thanks



All bets are off with a lightning strike. No device can offer 100%
protection against a direct strike.


Unplugging the coax from the radio when not in use comes pretty darn close.








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From: (Frank=A0Gilliland)
In ,
(Twistedhed) wrote:
From: (Zeeeeeeee3)
I do not worry about a static discharge if the antenna is grounded.
Hell, if lightning its your house all you are going to worry about is
your radio? I am
thinking this is a good time to have the insurance paid up...
_
(Is the static discharge unit only to protect the
radio? I was under the impression that it would also help prevent
lightning strikes. Thanks)



All bets are off with a lightning strike. No device can offer 100%
protection against a direct strike.



Unplugging the coax from the radio when not

in use comes pretty darn close.



No "device" can offer 100% protection against a direct lightning strike.



-----=3D Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 13:12:19 -0800, Frank Gilliland
wrote:

In ,
(Twistedhed) wrote:

From: (Zeeeeeeee3)
I do not worry about a static discharge if the antenna is grounded.
Hell, if lightning its your house all you are going to worry about is
your radio? I am
thinking this is a good time to have the insurance paid up...
_
Is the static discharge unit only to protect the

radio? I was under the impression that it would
also help prevent lightning strikes. Thanks



All bets are off with a lightning strike. No device can offer 100%
protection against a direct strike.


Unplugging the coax from the radio when not in use comes pretty darn close.


Maybe to protect the radio, If your antenna is hit, and your
coax is disconnected from your radio , the potential
across the connector can be hundreds of thousands of volts. The
resulting arc can set fire to adjacent materials.