Topband: RFI - and lots of it

[Dan Edward Dba East edwards]

I, for one, wonder how good my service entrance ground is...mine is probably 20 years old, and while the top looks ok, there's no way to know what's going on down 4, 6 and 8 feet...my utlities are underground, if that means anything...
as a starting point, should a guy drive a new one? or 2 or 3, spaced some distance apart?
( gosh, top band sounds lousy this fall, for me, anyway...sigs are well down from normal strength..)
73, w5xz, dan
 


     On Thursday, October 29, 2015 8:17 AM, Matt Murphy <matt at nq6n.com> wrote:
   

 I'm in the process of setting up my station in a new QTH and plan to
install a station ground at the cable entrance.

Tom, is there a best practice for bonding to the mains ground? Any
approaches to avoid?

73,
Matt NQ6N

On Thu, Oct 29, 2015 at 7:07 AM, Tom W8JI <w8ji at w8ji.com> wrote:

> I have and electrician coming next week who says he will check things out
>> and first of all ground the breaker panel to two ground rods 7 feet apart.
>> I thought the grounding was put at the meter but he says they don't do that
>> anymore. I think the old meter, before we had the new one put in had a
>> ground rod beneath it but nothing now. The only ground I could find to the
>> panel is a skimpy wire going to a water line. All of which looks corroded
>> etc.. I know many dollars were spent on renovation and restoration of this
>> place but I'm afraid to much emphasis was placed on cosmetic and not enough
>> on electrical as I look more closely, pretty depressing. >>>>>
>>
>
> Jim,
>
> Just keep in mind when  you do the work, the quality of the house ground
> to earth is far less important than having everything entering the house
> being bonded to act like one common point.
>
> One of the biggest mistakes in amateur radio grounding over the decades
> has been having the shack antenna and control cable entrance ground
> non-existent, and the common shack desk equipment ground to an independent
> ground.
>
> The shack ground must be bonded to the mains ground so everything entering
> the house is as close to one potential as you can get it.
>
> Correcting things may not cure your RFI, but it always makes things much
> safer and more reliable.
>
> 73 Tom
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