[Elecraft] Groundi loops

Wed Apr 13 00:04:27 EDT 2011

> Even though you may have not had any problems in the past, it has
> been said that the time you discover you have a problem, it may be
> too late. We do not need any unnecessary silent keys within the ham
> community, so be safe and bond things together, and most importantly,
> if you have ground rods that are not connected to the utility entry
> ground rod by a low impedance conductor (#4 or #6 copper wire),
> please correct that as soon as possible, you life may depend on it.

Please, take this to heart!  Consider the heat generated in the
entire electrical system of your home if your tower is not properly
bonded to the utility ground and the tower takes a lightning strike
at 2AM while you and your loved ones are asleep.  Even if the whole
"safety ground" has *only* 0.1 Ohm of resistance, if just 1000 A
makes it through your coax to the safety ground, that's 100 KW of
heat to be dissipated in the wiring and walls of your home.

Be safe.  Ground all towers, take all feedlines *completely* to the
ground, bond the shields to the tower and tower ground system at
the base of the tower.  Bond the tower/tower ground, the "entry
window" (where the feedlines enter the building) and the utility
ground together *OUTSIDE THE BUILDING*.  Encourage any lightning
induced surge to stay outside your home whether it originates on
your antennas/towers or on the utility lines.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV

On 4/12/2011 11:02 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
>    Jim,
>
> You are correct, the term "ground loop" is not meaningful.
>
> Eric, please excuse this post - I know you have ended the thread (and I
> changed the subject), but I fear many have become confused about my
> comments because private responses related them to the specifics of the
> Mac computers - my emphasis has nothing to do with the Mac, or any other
> computer - it encompasses everything in the ham station, or within reach
> of the operating position, be that a computer or a table lamp.
>
> The real problem is the difference between the various grounds in the
> typical ham station.
> One piece of equipment is grounded through the AC mains ground, and
> another piece of equipment is grounded to what the operator considers
> the "RF Ground" (it is usually not an effective RF Ground, but that is
> material for another discussion).  If that "RF Ground" is not connected
> to the AC Mains ground by a low impedance conductor to the Utility
> entrance ground, that may present a dangerous situation simply because
> there is resistance between the two grounds.  A surge event (lightning,
> rain, wind or rain static) can produce a substantial potential
> difference between the chassis of "supposedly grounded" pieces of
> equipment in the shack because the resistance between the grounds is
> finite - it will not be zero, and the surge currents can be very large
> (thousands of amperes).
>
> The main consideration is to keep everything in the operating position
> at the same potential, and that depends on connecting everything that
> can be touched from the operating position together to a single point
> common.  That common point may be 1000 volts above something which we
> normally call "ground" during a surge event, but if it is all at the
> same potential, no problem exists (I exaggerated the voltage for the
> sake of clarity) - the operator will be safe.
>
> BUT that includes everything within the "touch" region of the hamshack.
> Extend your arms out as far as possible from your operating position and
> think about what would happen if there was a potential difference
> between any two objects - include table lamps, telephones, radios, and
> anything else within reach.
>
> The only way to make the operating position safe from a fault condition
> or a surge event is to have everything at the same potential, and that
> means connecting everything to a common ground point - that means
> everything, no exceptions (even the Mac computers).
>
> As Jim Brown has pointed out numerous times, that also cures many hum
> and RFI problems too - but that is not my primary concern - the safety
> of each and every ham is my main concern.
>
> Even though you may have not had any problems in the past, it has been
> said that the time you discover you have a problem, it may be too late.
> We do not need any unnecessary silent keys within the ham community, so
> be safe and bond things together, and most importantly, if you have
> ground rods that are not connected to the utility entry ground rod by a
> low impedance conductor (#4 or #6 copper wire), please correct that as
> soon as possible, you life may depend on it.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 4/12/2011 3:04 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> On 4/12/2011 11:07 AM, Edward R. Cole wrote:
>>> None of my computer chassis are grounded directly to my radio
>>> grounds.  I made it especially that way to avoid audio ground
>>> loops.
>> That's why I abhor the phrase "ground loop"  -- it causes people to do
>> exactly the WRONG thing, just as you have done. AC hum, buzz, and RFI
>> are CAUSED by not bonding together equipment that is interconnected.
>> Study the tutorials in the links I posted yesterday to understand why.
>>
>> And, as W3FPR has observed, this same lack of bonding that causes hum,
>> buzz, and RFI also can cause severe damage in the case of a lightning
>> strike or power line spike.
>>
>> Bottom line -- bonding equipment together, bonding it to your station
>> ground, and bonding your station ground to all other grounds in your
>> home, are critical both for lightning safety and for minimizing hum,
>> buzz, and RFI.  Most important -- ERASE THE PHRASE "GROUND LOOP" FROM
>> YOUR VOCABULARY!
>>
>> 73, Jim Brown K9YC
>>
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