On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 22:50:56 -0600, "JerryMouse"
wrote:

wrote:
I am so confused about how to properly ground a system. I will have a
two meter and a 440 on the roof of my house. I will run the coax down
to my sofit vents or whatever they are called and run the coax inside
the vents to my shack. Behind the wall where my rquipment will be is a
storage space that I can acess. (This is a finished attic). I will be
using a mobile radio that has two antenna outputs, one for 2 meter and
one for 440.

How do I ground the radio and does it need it? Should the coax itself
be grounded and how? Do I have to purchase one of those surge things
that screws into the coax?

Any advice is appreciated!

An amateur radio operator who's a bit confused over grounding antennas?

Are you sure you're not operating on the 11-meter band?

In "The Doctor" printed in the March 2005 QST, even the ARRL got it
WRONG by saying not to bond to the electrical service. That is in
violation of NEC, and is very wrong. Sorry, but most hams are
clueless when it comes to grounding. I sure was at first, but after
many years of working on tall towers in the communications and
broadcasting industries I've learned a lot about proper grounding.

Ground the coax shield before it enters the house. Use as large a
wire as is practical. No smaller than #6, I try to use at least #2,
or 3" copper strap when I can. Make sure ALL grounds are bonded, Ham
antenna, TV antenna, Cable TV, Power, Telephone, etc. Extra ground
rods are a good idea, as long as they are all bonded together and to
all the utilities listed above. Space them 16' apart if possible, if
you put them to close together it limits the effectiveness during a
lightning strike. Spacing them farther than 16' is not really
necessary.

Visit www.polyphaser.com for lots of good info on Grounding.