[Elecraft] K3S proper grounding?

[Jim Brown]

On Sun,9/27/2015 2:32 PM, Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote:
> I agree with Fred in that there is no one system or method that "fits 
> all".  In general I view station grounding approaches as 4 different 
> systems, all which should be implemented.
>
> (a)   All driven grounds must be bonded to each other an to the AC 
> Mains ground and this should occur outside of the structure or house.  
> I find no exception to this practice unless a tower is 200 ft or more 
> from the structure at which point a ground system should be located at 
> the base of the tower.
>
> (b)  Third pin green wire or safety ground for equipment must always 
> be in place and not "cheated" with an adapter.
>
> (c)  All lightning protection should occur before any feed line or 
> rotor control enters the building.   Its ground attachment should be 
> part of the driven ground and bonding system.  Towers should have a 
> ground from top to bottom and not relay solely on the structure 
> alone.  Don't forget to bond the rotating mast out the top of the 
> tower to the tower itself.

Yes, and to clarify, ALL of those grounded points MUST be bonded together.

> (d)  Certain type of antennas do require a specific ground system 
> which I refer as RF Ground.   A few driven ground rods do not make a 
> RF Ground.   Those being, but not solely inclusive, verticals, 
> slopers, end fed Zepps, long wires and such as examples.

Another clarification. What you're calling a ground system for an 
antenna is NOT a ground system at all. Rather, a radial system functions 
two ways -- it acts as a low loss return for antenna current and and as 
a return for the fields produced by the antenna. In other words, a 
radial field SHIELDS the antenna and its fields from lossy earth so that 
power is not wasted in the soil under the antenna.  In the absence of a 
radial system, we often use a COUNTERPOISE -- a wire connected to the 
return side of the coax (or the antenna tuner) to act as the return for 
current. The primary difference is that the counterpoise is simply 
another radiating part of the antenna, but it does not provide the 
shielding function.

Yes, broadcast radial systems are usually buried, but the skin depth of 
soil usually extends FAR below the topsoil on the AM broadcast band and 
on 160M, so the radial system is still providing the low loss return and 
shield.  Another benefit of radial systems is that they provide 
capacitive coupling to a wide area around an antenna, which improves the 
path to ground for lightning.

73, Jim K9YC

73, Jim K9YC