VERY INTERESTING READ ON GRONDING

[Stellasstillarat]

Reat this article. Interesting article.

Check out the post about grounding by Wb2wic Steve katz on e ham.

He's been a ham radio operater for 50 + year's at this point.
The original post was written several years ago but doubt his opinions on grounding have changed since.

His thoughts on grounding and the people who replied to his op are eye opening.

I found his thoughts on grounding xstreamly interesting.

The post can be found on e ham.

I tried several times to share it but unfourtainatly just couldn't get it done.

I'd love to hear what anyone who reads his post thinks about it.

As I'm currently reading many articles / posts about the subject.

Neither my antenna or station is grounded.
The third prong at the end of my power cords is the extent of my grounding. This is why I'm currently reading up on the subject.

 

[Robb]

Every house/legal human dwelling must have a ground.
It is the NEC/'national electrical code'.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Couldn't you have at least copied and pasted the URL so we would have half a chance at finding the article you speak about? Still looking for it.

As for what Steve says, I take it with a grain of salt. Steve is the kind of guy that has always done something more often, better, and always the best way regardless of what the topic is. If everyone else has had an issue with something he never has. You know the kind I mean?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Is this it?

http://www.eham.net/articles/21383

Again I see holes in his argument especially since it seems to be all about HIS experience and not in general terms. Pay attention to the last couple lines regarding that his article has NOTHING to do with lightning protection. There are different types of grounds, RF, lightning, and electrical, all of which have different requirements. Someone (like Steve ) may go his entire life with grounding things and never have a problem but that alone does not negate the reason for grounding something. I knew a guy that did not ground his station. Thanks to a fast response time from the local fire department he only suffered $40,000 damage to the house after a lightning strike to his antenna. You have to decide what you want to assume for a risk and act accordingly. Me personally I ground the shit out of everything. I have seen what happens both with and without a good ground. Now as for station ground, that MUST be incorporated into any effective lightning ground so saying you don't need one is showing how much you really don't understand regardless of how long you have been a ham or how convincing you may be able to sound.

 

[M0GVZ]

As for what Steve says, I take it with a grain of salt. Steve is the kind of guy that has always done something more often, better, and always the best way regardless of what the topic is. If everyone else has had an issue with something he never has. You know the kind I mean?

W8JI agrees with him in regards to grounding.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

W8JI agrees with him in regards to grounding.

As for the need for a simple station ground yes I agree too HOWEVER for an effective lightning ground you MUST incorporate any type of station ground in existence in with the lightning ground to be effective. W8JI even agrees with that. If you do not want nor care about a lightning ground then you do not need a station ground. The third pin of the electrical outlet serves as a safety ground. You will note the post you quoted was made before I was actually able to read the article. In any event I stand by what I said about Steve. Go over on QRZ.com and see what I mean as I am sure you have already. Of course the big issue is what do you call a station ground? Is it a piece of wire from your gear to the nearest outlet? Is it a separate ground rod? Is it a separate heavy bonding wire to the electrical panel?Is it simply a common single point where everything is tied together?

 

[binrat]

Is this it?

http://www.eham.net/articles/21383

Again I see holes in his argument especially since it seems to be all about HIS experience and not in general terms. Pay attention to the last couple lines regarding that his article has NOTHING to do with lightning protection. There are different types of grounds, RF, lightning, and electrical, all of which have different requirements. Someone (like Steve ) may go his entire life with grounding things and never have a problem but that alone does not negate the reason for grounding something. I knew a guy that did not ground his station. Thanks to a fast response time from the local fire department he only suffered $40,000 damage to the house after a lightning strike to his antenna. You have to decide what you want to assume for a risk and act accordingly. Me personally I ground the shit out of everything. I have seen what happens both with and without a good ground. Now as for station ground, that MUST be incorporated into any effective lightning ground so saying you don't need one is showing how much you really don't understand regardless of how long you have been a ham or how convincing you may be able to sound.

Really?? say it ain't so.
I'm pretty well in the same boat as you Capt. I saw first hand what happens with lightning at a neighbours house / barn. After that, more is better.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

The BIG thing is that you need to tie any and ALL grounds together at one single point and THAT alone will go further to protect your gear than any other single thing you could do, however the article in question is about a simple station ground, which I do agree is not necessary in and of itself unless you have lots of tube gear in metal chassis sitting on a metal desk top in a damp basement. LOL.

 

[DainBramage]

...As for what Steve says, I take it with a grain of salt. Steve is the kind of guy that has always done something more often, better, and always the best way regardless of what the topic is...

.... In any event I stand by what I said about Steve. Go over on QRZ.com and see what I mean as I am sure you have already...

You noticed that too, but,..... he is one of the primma donna's on da ZED, jeez, 35,000 + posts

he often likes to present "facts" that are mostly pure fantasy,... and he doesn't like to be corrected at all.

he seems to think an MBA means something when there is an electronic discussion between people with B double E's, BS M's/E's. and just doesn't seem to comprehend that some of the people reading the stuff he paraphrases actually have both degrees and real world experience in the subject matter.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I find that he just presents his personal feelings and experiences as pure, all encompassing facts that should apply to everyone and if they don't then the other person is wrong. LOL As for the number of posts.......no comment. I have over 12,300 here.

 

[Stellasstillarat]

Yes that is the post and thank you for posting it captain .................

The point about pasting pisses me off to know end!
You yourself many months ago posed on how I should do this, and no matter how I try to save, copy or paste I can't seem to figure out how to share certain links and such.

I absolutely apologize. I tried for atlest 45 minutes and thought the read and replyes were so interesting that it was worth mentioning it. Thanks again.

Couldn't you have at least copied and pasted the URL so we would have half a chance at finding the article you speak about? Still looking for it.

As for what Steve says, I take it with a grain of salt. Steve is the kind of guy that has always done something more often, better, and always the best way regardless of what the topic is. If everyone else has had an issue with something he never has. You know the kind I mean?