[Elecraft] Ground connection on a DX Engineering balun - what's best with my loop?

[Vic K2VCO]

The stud and the coax shield are connected together. So grounding the stud outside is just 
another ground path for the station ground.

The warning about the "antenna ground" means that two halves of an antenna should be 
connected to the two insulated connectors and not to the station ground. If you were to 
connect one of the insulated connectors to the stud, it would bypass the isolation 
provided by the balun, defeating its purpose.

On 9/20/2012 6:47 AM, zendoc at netspace.net.au wrote:
>
>
> 	Hello Group,
>
> Apologies if this is too far off topic, but I have a question about
> ground connection on a DX Engineering balun.
>
> I have an 80m horizontal loop, fed with 300 ohm ladder line.  I use
> this multiband.  The ladderline ends just outside the shack at a DX
> Engineering 1:1 current balun, which has an aluminium case.  A 6 foot
> length of RG213 then leaves the balun and passes through the shack
> wall to the coax connector on the back of an unbalanced Palstar manual
> tuner.  The tuner chassis is connected to station ground (bonded to
> AC safety ground) via a direct wire, through the wall to a ground rod
> less than 3 feet away.
>
> On the balun case, there is a stud and wingnut to allow the
> unbalanced  side of the balun (coax shield)  to be connected to
> station ground.
>
> A warning in the DXE balun manual states that the ground stud on its
> case should not be connected to "antenna ground".  In my situation,
> I'm not sure whether the coax on the shield between the balun and
> tuner is considered to be part of the "antenna ground" and should
> therefore  NOT be connected to station ground?
>
> So my question is:
>
> Should I connect the balun, via the case stud, directly to station
> ground?  (The ground rod is only 2 feet below the balun, right
> outside the shack.)
>
> Or do I leave my current configuration, where station ground is
> connected to the tuner chassis.
>
> Thanks for any advice.
>
> 73
> John
> VK7JB
>
>
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-- 
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/