[TowerTalk] [RFI] Back of desk grounding buss

[Jim Brown]

All of the replies I've seen here are obsessing on the wrong topic. By 
all means DO take care to avoid oxidation and dissimilar metals 
problems. But that ground bar, whatever it is, is NOT an important 
element of what you're doing, which is primarily LIGHTNING SUPPRESSION, 
but also minimizing hum, buzz, and RFI.

What matters is that EVERY CHASSIS in your shack be bonded together by 
short fat copper, and that combination of chassis bonded to everything 
in your house by short fat copper. That includes antenna entry, every 
ground rod, the power system ground, the telco ground, the CATV ground, 
the satellite ground, structrural steel ground (if any), and, if your 
tower is close to the house, the tower ground.

You are also forgetting that bonding between equipment should also be 
short, fat copper. When you run wires from each piece of gear to a bar 
at the back of he desk, that usually makes the connection more than 
twice as long. That means double the resistance and double the 
inductance. NOT a good thing.

The BEST bonding method in the shack is short, fat copper from chassis 
to chassis of every piece of gear in the shack, then a bond from one of 
those chassis (preferably the rig) to those other grounds in your home. 
Chassis to chassis bonding minimizes hum, buzz, and RFI. Bonding all the 
grounds together and to earth provides lightning safety.

73, Jim K9YC