[Elecraft] Ground Wire & Coax

[James Bennett]

Got a question for those folks who are knowledgeable in grounding equipment.

I’m installing a Zerofive flagpole antenna in my backyard. There will be several 8’ ground rods at the antenna site. On one side of the house is my shack; on the other side is the home’s utility ground - a Ufer system. I’m also installing a KF7P entrance panel on the exterior wall of the shack. It’ll have several lightening arrestors and a very close-by 8’ ground rod. Per N.E.C. specs, I need to tie the ground system at the shack entrance to the house utility ground - probably 150’ or so from the coax entrance panel to that Ufer spot. My electrician said that a #4 solid copper wire running from the coax entrance panel to the Ufer point would suffice for keeping the grounds together. Looking at the ARRL book on grounding and bonding, it appears that what I’m going to do is to install a “perimeter ground.” Not cheap, but the right thing to do.

Anyway, the path from that coax entrance panel to the antenna is about 100’. The first 50’ of it is the same path that the #4 copper wire would take. Since the ground here in SW Idaho doesn’t freeze up, I’m looking at digging a 4-6” deep trench for these wires. Is there any reason why I cannot place the coax and the #4 copper wire in the same trench? Electrical reasons? RF reasons?

Jim / K7TXA