Michael wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message
...
Michael wrote:
"Michael" wrote in message
...
Hiya...
Hiya...

Got the 6' solid brass ground rod and 24' ground strap today from ICE.
We have clear weather forecast here for Saturday, so I plan to pound it
into the ground. I'll mount the balun to the foundation low to the
ground and connect the ground strap. I ordered 100' spool of antenna
wire and a 100' length of coax. If they arrive in the next day, I'll be
able to put it up Saturday along with the balun and ground spike. Then I
can test it out Saturday night. If I don't get the antenna wire and
other goodies by the weekend, it will have to wait another week for
completion and testing. I'm glad I also have the 102' G5RV to test it
against. That antenna is currently laying on my roof in the shape of a
sigma. I plan to leave it as is.

I'd say the 6' brass rod into the earth is a better ground then the brick
chimney, but I don't think it will out perform the whole uncooked
chicken.

I'm still not sure if I should also ground the radio in the shack. The
radio is on the second floor in the house, so any ground wire would have
to be about 75' long to reach the spike, unless I just ground it to the
iron radiator... or a chicken. I use a six receiver, six radio MFJ-
1700C switch to go between antennas and my two radios. The new properly
grounded inverted L will always be hooked up to the switch along with
both my radios and all antennas. Given that one antenna is well grounded
and all items are hooked up to the same switch via shielded PL-259, will
the other radios and antennas benefit from that one single grounded
antenna ???

Forgive me for being a total retard here... My first ever antenna was a
roll of aluminum foil and an alligator clip :-) I'm making some
progress...

Mike D
Ground the switch.

To what ??? Given that the switch will already be connected to the PL-259
connection of the well grounded sloping L antenna's shielded coax, hooking
up another wire to the switch from the outside ground rod will be redundant,
no ??? The best I can do is put a ground strap from the switch to an iron
radiator in the shack.

Think that will be any help ???

Michael


Yes. Lightning can induce voltage onto the cable shields that will
either pass through your radios or find another path to ground. A
radiator is usually a very nice ground.