[HCARC] RF Grounding Counterpoise

[ALoneStarYank at aol.com]

I can not believe all the drivel that is posted  about amateur radio on the 
internet.  (and that people believe)   W2IK
 
 
In a message dated 10/6/2012 3:28:49 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
qltfnish at omniglobal.net writes:

OOPS -  Reflector won't allow me to do red.  Anyway, it's the part about  
running a #8 wire 1/2 inch underground all the way around your Ham Shack  
for 
an RF Counterpoise.

Gary J
N5"BAA"


----- Original  Message ----- 
From: "Gary and Arlene Johnson"  <qltfnish at omniglobal.net>
To: <hcarc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent:  Saturday, October 06, 2012 3:25 PM
Subject: [HCARC] RF Grounding  Counterpoise


> This article in hamuniverse.com on grounding  seems to talk about 
something 
> I have not heard of being necessary or  even desired.  The part I am 
> wondering about is the section of  the quoted part concerning running 
wire 
> completely around your Ham  Shack to act as an RF Counterpoise.  I need 
> your comments - as I  said I have not heard of this, but have the wire to 
> do it if  neccessary.  I want my "BAAAAA" to be as loud and clear as 
>  possible.  The part in question is the part in red.
>
> Gary  J
> N5"BAA"
>
>
>  http://www.hamuniverse.com/grounding.html
>
> "Your ground run  should go directly to the ground where you should have 
a 
> ground rod  for the connection point,  (which will be connected to all 
your 
>  other ground rods in the system as discussed above).  This run must be  
> less than nine feet to be effective.  If you are on the second  floor 
this 
> will make this length impossible.  Use of a shielded  ground* wire can 
stop 
> radiation of the ground wire but you will still  have a lousy ground. 
> Nothing can change this.  Ground wire  tuners only turn your ground wire 
> into a counterpoise for your  antenna, meaning it WILL radiate.  This 
will 
> only ensure that  the low voltage point of your antenna will be at your 
> radio.   Next we need to form our  RF counterpoise outside at our ground 
>  system.  You will next need to add some bare copper wire at the RF  
> feedpoint where your shack ground wire connects to.  I prefer to  use 
bare 
> 8 gauge copper ground wire here.  It is single  conductor, bare copper 
and 
> easily bent and run around house.   Single stran
>
> d is best but it should definitely be bare even  if you have to strip 
> insulation off wire.  Run it around the  house or anywhere it will stay 
out 
> of the way fo lawn equipment but  not buried deeper than 1/2 inches.  
This 
> is CRITICAL.  RF  will not penetrate soil deeper than this at these 
>  frequencies.   Those bonding wires you have between ground rods and  
ground 
> rods do not exist to the RF!   Burying this wire  under wood chips or 
> similar non conductive landscaping, etc is the  way to go.  This 
> counterpoise should be as long as the wire  antennas you have in the air. 
> For most hams this will be about 130  feet.  Longer is better.  I run all 
> the way around my  house.  I have found the eight gauge will push into 
the 
> spacing  used between driveway and foundation when persuaded with the 
> proper  tool, (READ HAMMER).  You can connect the loop back on itself at 
>  the feed point.  This can add several S units to the receive signal and  
> dramatically reduce noise on the signal, though nothing will  h
>
> elp all the noise on 80 or 160 meters.   Years ago  I installed a long 
wire 
> antenna that was about 250 feet long and  about 50 feet in the air.  This 
> should work fantastic you  say.  I had three ground rods outside window 
of 
> shack with  single ott solid copper ground wire direct to tuner. Ground 
> wire  length was only six feet.   All three rods were spaced about eight  
> feet apart with connecting bare wire interconnecting them....in other  
> words, a really good surge ground.  What I did not realize at  that time 
> was how lousy my RF ground was.  We could not tune the  antenna on most 
> frequencies and we kept getting zapped from the radio  or microphone when 
> we transmitted.  Also, our signal reports  were lousy.  SO, after 
> consulting some experts, I added 250 feet  of counterpoise around the 
> building consisting of some bare 6 gauge  copper wire I had.  The radio 
was 
> on while I rolled it out and a  friend was listening to the broadcast on 
40 
> meters, (OK it was night  time---best time to do antenn
>
> a work right!)  Anyway he  reported the broadcast was only about S 4-5 on 
> meter.  As I  rolled out the counterpoise it rose to 40 over S9 and came 
in 
> much  clearer.  We were able to tune everything easily now and SWR was 
rock  
> stable.  When we did a signal test, the station we had talked to  before 
> accused us of running a contest amplifier.  We could not  convince them 
it 
> was only 100 watts, same as before and the same  antenna! "
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