[GCARC] Fwd: [FRC] Need Help,Info or Ideas on Grounding

[Chuck Colabrese]

Here's a series of emails from the FRC (Frankford Radio Club) email reflector. 
A question was put out for info on ways to ground a 3rd floor station. I think you'll find the replies interesting and perhaps helpful. 

Ron, NR2B, any comments? 

73, Chuck, WA2TML 

----- Original Message -----

From: "FRC Group" <gofrc at yahoogroups.com> 
To: "FRC Group" <gofrc at yahoogroups.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 11:30:25 AM 
Subject: Re: [FRC] Need Help,Info or Ideas on Grounding 



I can't tell you what your situation requires for lightning suppression, but here's what I did for mine. I spent a good deal of effort, time, and $bux setting up a lightning ground system that is tied together and to the electric service ground. Starting at the service ground (where the electric system enters the house, often buried). #4 solid copper from service ground around the entire house was the most difficult part. 8 ft ground rtods are spaced at 16 ft intervals all along the length of that "peripheral" ground. Each tower leg has #4 running out 32 ft from the base, with 3 ground rods spaced 16 ft apart, and that tower ground is tied to the peripheral ground at the house via #4 .. again with 8 ft rods every 16 ft. Also, there's #4 running from the shack ground (1/2" copper pipe in back of the equipment desks) to which every thing in the shack is tied, including computers, radio gear, multiple UPS, power supplies, amplifier... everything that CAN be grounded IS grounded to the shack ground, which is tied to the outside ground system. Every coax line, rotator cable, the SteppIR control cable, and all other wires coming into the shack have a "lightning suppressor"(I use I.C.E. type) mounted on a large square of solid copper that is connected to the peripheral system and housed in a grounded metal box at the shack entrance point. All leadins from the tower are routed underground in PVC conduit. All connections to the ground system are clamped, and the clamps get checked for tightness once a year (it would have been better to cadweld them) As KQ2M says, dont solder anything in a lightning ground system. 

QTH is on a ridge 550 ft ASL. It's not possible to prove this system has provided lightning "protection" over the 8 years since I installed it, but so far, so good.... no strikes that I'm aware of. I'm no expert on lightning, which "has a mind of its own", but I feel I've covered the bases fairly well based on all the resource materials I could find at the time. That's all you can do, and your mileage may vary. 

73, Jerry K3BZ 
"Worthwhile things are rarely easy or cheap." 


On 6/10/2014 1:40 PM, 'Bob Shohet, KQ2M' kq2m at kq2m.com [gofrc] wrote: 



If it is a ground for lightning purposes, it should NOT be soldered, but rather, must be clamped. 
Solder and the connection(s) that go with it, will most likely be vaporized from the energy 
associated with a direct or indirect strike, hence the ground “connection” would vanish 
at the time that you need it most. 
Even if it is meant as an electrical ground just for the shack, unless all antennas and coaxial, rotator, control 
and/or other types of cable connecting anything from the outside with the inside shack, are completely 
physically disconnected, your shack ground will become a spectacular conductor of lightning and then vaporize. 
AND, if anything in the shack is attached to any electrical outlet, you will now have coupled the lightning into the 
house as well and “removed” the outside ground some the solder has been vaporized. This 
is the WORST possible situation as the lightning can now affect the house circuitry and it has no place to go 
except out through the service box ground, which, depending on the state and its electrical code, can be the most 
pitiful and inadequate ground that I have ever seen. (At least it is in Connecticut). 
My towers have been hit by lightning many times in the past 16 years. I have seen all types and kinds 
of ramifications from these strikes. I physically disconnect EVERYTHING inside the shack from the outside and from 
the electrical outlets inside and from each other before a T-storm and I do not solder anything to be used for a ground. 
To do anything differently only invites unnecessary trouble and danger and potential economic loss. 
Bottom line: Don’t solder. Use physically large and strong cable clamps – even better, use Cadweld. 
Tony, N2TK is familiar with it – perhaps 
he will share some details. 
73 
Bob Shohet, KQ2M 
From: mailto:gofrc at yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 8:19 AM 
To: Reflector FRC ; w1gd at aol.com 
Cc: k3nl at verizon.net 
Subject: Re: [FRC] Need Help,Info or Ideas on Grounding [2 Attachments] 



I usually just punch right through the outside wall with a bare copper wire and go straight into a ground rod in the ground right below the room. 
Just be careful not to run too long a ground, since it can start causing problems and act like an antenna itself. 
Rule of thumb, the shorter the ground, the better. 
I usually take a 6 foot piece of 1/2" copper pipe, solder or clamp a #6 wire to the middle and then solder or clamp individual #12 lines at equal distances, connecting all my equipment to the bus mounted underneath the desk with rubber grommeted pipe clamps to keep it off the desk bottom. It's the first thing I do in any new shack. It's quick and dirty and it works really well, plus you can hide it. 
A similar method is to get a 4-6 foot long piece of flat copper bar stock, 1/4" to 1/8" thick by 3/4" wide, then drill and tap a boatload of threaded holes nicely spaced all in a line down the middle so you can screw a clamp ring terminal in place with a wire. Mount it on L-brackets under the desk for easy access. It's more expensive, but clean and professional looking. You can add wires at your convenience. 
Forgive the crude artwork. 
- Jake, KK6L 


On Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 4:18 PM, w1gd at aol.com [gofrc] < gofrc at yahoogroups.com > wrote: 

<blockquote>



Nick, 
Check out W8JI's site ( www.w8ji.com ). Tom has an interesting approach to providing an RF ground to his second floor shack. I've adopted a similar approach to my second floor shack. Instead of running grounds under the existing carpeting, I was able to run about 25 feet of 8-inch wide aluminum flashing in attic storage area adjacent to my shack. I'm prepared to run more if needed. But so far that has worked for HF running a KW. 
Good Luck, 
Gerry, W1GD 



-----Original Message----- 
From: Nick Leipold K3NL k3nl at verizon.net [gofrc] < gofrc at yahoogroups.com > 
To: gofrc < gofrc at yahoogroups.com > 
Sent: Mon, Jun 9, 2014 3:54 pm 
Subject: [FRC] Need Help,Info or Ideas on Grounding 

I have just relocated my shack to the 3rd floor of my QTH. There is no ground available for the equipment or antenna. The 3rd floor is about 25 feet above ground level. Does anyone know of any magazine articles, books, websites or have ideas about how to provide a ground, when the shack is not near a ground point? 
Tnx fer any help or ideas 73, Nick K3NL 




</blockquote>




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Posted by: "Jerry Keller (K3BZ)" <k3bz at verizon.net> 

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