[TowerTalk] Station Ground

[Gary Schafer]

Frank Donovan wrote:

> The modern design practice is to bond all RF cables, rotator cables
> and control cables to a common grounding "window" at the entry
> point into the home.  All other cables (AC power, telephone,
> cable TV, satellite, etc) penetrating the wall of the building
> should be bonded to the grounding window.   While a heavy
> ground wire could be run from the grounding window to the
> station equipment bus bar and then to each station equipment,
> it is likely to have such high impedance that it is highly unlikely to
> perform any useful function.
> 
> 73!
> Frank
> W3LPL
> donovanf at erols.com
> 
>

With a proper "grounding window" using a buss bar to connect equipment 
to can actually be a detriment. It is best to run individual ground 
lines from each piece of equipment separately to the ground window.

With a common buss bar you have ground loops between pieces of 
equipment. If a surge, lightning etc. should get through to one piece of 
equipment it will hopefully exit via the ground to the ground window.

If there is a common buss bar the surge can enter another piece of 
equipment and go through it via the ground connection on it's way to 
ground. The ground lead from the buss bar will always have some 
impedance so it will be somewhat above ground with a surge.

With individual ground leads to the ground window there is no loop 
through other equipment. Not always doable but it is the proper way.

73
Gary  K4FMX