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captpackratI bought an 8 foot copper ground rod and pounded it into the earth, which is a lot easier said than done. Fortunately we've got a post driver; trying to use a sledgehammer on a rod that's taller than I am would not have been fun.
But now I've got something of a conundrum. Attaching the antenna to the ground rod is easy enough, but if I do so, it raises the spectre of a ground loop. To fix that issue, I need to bond the antenna ground rod to the main ground rod in the basement. There's a hole in the basement wall so running a wire won't be much of an issue. The problem I'm having is what kind of wire to use.
The best thing would be a bare copper wire, buried underground for the majority of its run. The wire would act as additional ground making the system even more effective. However, copper wire runs about $1.50 per foot, and I think I'll need about 75 feet to connect the two grounds. That's almost double what I paid for the antenna in the first place. I also really don't want to go digging a trench around the house.
Some websites are suggesting RG8 coax. It's shielded and insulated, so I could just run it anywhere without having to worry about it. However, shopping around online, it looks like it's at least as expensive as plain copper.
The cheap solution would be braided electrical wire. 100 feet of 12 gauge wire is about $35 online, I could get thinner wire even cheaper.
The main concern I have is reducing the risk of a ground loop. I don't need (or really want) the bond wire to absorb a lightning strike, as that's what the antenna ground rod is for. I just want to bleed off any voltage potential that may occur between the grounds.
Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?
But now I've got something of a conundrum. Attaching the antenna to the ground rod is easy enough, but if I do so, it raises the spectre of a ground loop. To fix that issue, I need to bond the antenna ground rod to the main ground rod in the basement. There's a hole in the basement wall so running a wire won't be much of an issue. The problem I'm having is what kind of wire to use.
The best thing would be a bare copper wire, buried underground for the majority of its run. The wire would act as additional ground making the system even more effective. However, copper wire runs about $1.50 per foot, and I think I'll need about 75 feet to connect the two grounds. That's almost double what I paid for the antenna in the first place. I also really don't want to go digging a trench around the house.
Some websites are suggesting RG8 coax. It's shielded and insulated, so I could just run it anywhere without having to worry about it. However, shopping around online, it looks like it's at least as expensive as plain copper.
The cheap solution would be braided electrical wire. 100 feet of 12 gauge wire is about $35 online, I could get thinner wire even cheaper.
The main concern I have is reducing the risk of a ground loop. I don't need (or really want) the bond wire to absorb a lightning strike, as that's what the antenna ground rod is for. I just want to bleed off any voltage potential that may occur between the grounds.
Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?
