[Elecraft] 12 volt battery

[Jim Brown]

On 3/5/2014 11:30 AM, Clint wrote:
> All the talk about "off grid" operation has me wondering: Would it be wise,
> or helpful, to ground the negitive side of the battery to the shack/house
> ground system (if the charging system is isolated)?

There is no advantage to grounding the negative power lead, and it is 
can be the cause of noise problems.

Good (safe) engineering practice, as well as virtually all electrical 
building codes in the developed world, require that all grounds in a 
premises be bonded together by short, fat copper. That includes, but is 
not limited to, the power system ground, grounds for CATV, telephone, 
any building steel, the entry point for all antennas, and the radio 
operating desk. This bonding is primarily for safety, but it also 
minimizes hum, buzz, and RF interference.

When operating in the field on batteries, it's still important to ground 
the station for lightning protection. But a connection to earth does NOT 
make an antenna work better. Indeed, when we add radials or a 
counterpoise to an end-fed antenna, we are diverting antenna current 
AWAY from the earth.

73, Jim K9YC