Topband: Ground Rod at Radial Junction point

[Tom Rauch]

> reference on the OK1RR web page that came from an unknown author. This
> author said that a ground rod should not be used at the junction point
> of a radial system.  He said  that when the ground rod was not at the
> radial junction point of the anrtenna that he was using the Feild

I think that must have come from a discussion about elevated radials.

With a small number of elevated radials, there is considerable 
voltage between the coax shield connect at the antenna and earth. If 
you ground that point to earth in any manner, it decreases the field 
strength.

That is why we should  always use a choke balun at the feedpoint, and 
never ground any part of the system out at the antenna to earth.

The same thing happens with a small groundplane. Most of the small 
commercial groundplane antennas I designed have the groundplane and 
coax shield insulated from the mast, and a choking system to keep 
current off the coax shield.

If you have even 20 or 30 radials, the ground rod or grounding the 
coax shield has no effect.

The elevated and small GP problem, by being taken out of context,  
obviously is spilling over into areas where it does not apply.

73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com