[TowerTalk] "Noisy" ground with a balanced antenna?

[Tom Rauch]

> I've read in a couple places lately -- maybe in ads, not
sure -- that
> creating an "effective RF ground" (whatever that would
imply at the
> wavelength in question) can reduce received noise in the
antenna circuit,
> even when an "RF ground" isn't necessary for antenna
current return, such as
> when driving a correctly-tuned balanced antenna. Is this
true?

No. Not with a properly balanced or properly UNbalanced
antenna system.

 I work a lot
> of 6M SSB/CW, and man-made QRN is often the limiting
factor on receiving
> weak sigs. My 5-el homebrew yagi presents a virtually
pure-resistive 50 ohms
> load at 50.125, according to my 259B. Wouldn't expect any
improvement on the
> transmit side. But would my receive noise floor really
drop if I put down a
> counterpoise under my carpet near the rig? Or outside?


No. Not with a properly balanced or properly UNbalanced
antenna system.

 If so, why? I don't
> see it. Please enlighten me as to how antenna currents
developed by noise
> sources could be reduced with an "RF ground".

It has nothing to do with impedance or SWR. It has to do
with balance and unbalance.

If the feedline is radiating, then messing with a ground can
change things. Might make it better, might make it worse,
but in general if the feedline is radiating a good ground
will reduce problems. The real cure would be to fix the
antenna, however.

73 Tom