[TowerTalk] RF Ground is not a Myth

[James Duffey]

Even though a perfect ground, RF or otherwise, does not exist in practice, the RF ground is not a myth. At least not a myth in the same sense that Thor, Zeus, just taxes, and Chupacabra are a myth. The RF ground is a useful theoretical construct. This theoretical construct is a result of solid thinking. Given that it is hard to realize in practice, but it does have its use in understanding current flow in RF circuits, the practical problems in implementing a useful ground, and why we have problems in circuits that we don’t think should have problems. Simply put, an RF ground is an infinite source or sink of carriers, delivered or received with minimal delay. That of course is not realizable, but understanding why the carriers cannot be delivered or absorbed with minimal delay helps a great deal in understanding the practical implementation of circuits we design.

In more general terms, theory is not myth, even if it cannot be realized in practice. - Duffey KK6MC  


On Jan 19, 2015, at 3:37 PM, K9YC through towertalk-request at contesting.com wrote:

> The real issue is that the concept of "RF Ground" is a myth and the 
> result of fuzzy thinking.

--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM