Comments on: Grounding is key to good reception

By: Jeff Lewczyk

Jeff Lewczyk — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:58:41 +0000

This feels very weird!! As a kid I loved discovery – how clocks, telephones, stereo players, cars, etc. worked. I’ve done lots of electrical theory at 3 universities, twice in the military, and being the primary maintenance man for a total of 8 homes. Now, I’m a 65 yr. old with an 11 yr. old son, who has much the same need to tinker and get his arms around interesting stuff. There’s something to the term that “paybacks are a b….”! Now that I’m getting deep into a radio committment with my 11 y.o. sidekick, I’d just like to mention that it’s nice of you folks to share all the info you’ve accumulated. Its comforting to know that others have started at the beginning too and that there is help for those of us who are starting so late to make use of all the nuts and bolts of practical radio experimentation. I am really enjoying the moments when my 11 y.o.’s eyes widen and his mouth opens to exclaim some new-found discovery and it is really due to the fact that you men & women have taken the time and effort to make the information available to him in a form that’s quick (quicker than pouring through mounds of textbooks). I’d just like to thank you folks for all your efforts – the links, the tips and the “dirt-under-your-fingernails” practical suggestions. Thanks from both of us!

By: Larry C

Larry C — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:08:13 +0000

It is very wrong to have more than one ground point unless you can keep the potential at both points matched. (you can’t) Doing so is asking for severe equipment damage. I found out the hard way when a nearby lightning strike induced voltage on my coax and rotor cable.

My tower ground was only 40 feet from my equipment electrical ground. After the strike and $6,000 in equipment damage, I calculated that the voltage rise between the two grounds could have been over 3000 volts. And this is just an induced voltage from a 1/2 mile away strike. If you must have more than one ground, bond them together with low impedance cable without any tight bends in it.

By: MARK

MARK — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:01:34 +0000

So is it then better not to ground my antennas/tower ?I have a ground on my towers,i have ground straps on the cox/cables (only at the tower side and not were it enters the house.WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS ? to get rid of qrm/n.It will be nice if there is some one out there that can give us some directions.
THKS,MARK ZS6 JMF

By: Joe Yuna

Joe Yuna — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:48:53 +0000

WRONG…WRONG…WRONG

Grounding is not the solution excepting for elementary thinking for the novice engineer or radio operator.

I suspect we’ve confused grounding, matching and coupling, all different phases of a complete antenna system…….

If you couple ground into every antenna system you will get common mode noise 87% of the time swamping any weak signal input across the EM spectrum…

This is a topic deserving more time and dissection at the theoretical level, and by spectrum and type of antenna sections…not in a quick e-mail or commentary from a casual user or applications engineer.

Good luck but I’ll use grounded connections as needed and not as a rule.

Joe Yuna
EE LCDR/USN ret.