[TowerTalk] Grounding?

[Jim Brown]

On 3/27/2019 1:37 PM, k7lxc--- via TowerTalk wrote:
> In a vertical xmit antenna, is there a compelling reason to use ground rods near the antenna (vis-a-vis tower lightning grounding) in addition to radials?

Only if you put an arrestor with a GDT there, and doing so is worth it, 
because it provides additional lightning protection by giving the strike 
current a path to ground before the ground system for your home/shack. 
The logic is the same as for multiple rods surrounding a tower and 
bonded to it.

> If you have a number of radials going out from the tower, do close ground rods add anything signal/efficiency-wise?

NO! Except for some RX antennas, ground rods do NOT make antennas work 
better. Other than for RX antennas that need them, their only reason for 
existence is lightning protection.

73, Jim K9YC