On this page are links to additional on-site and off-site references providing
some theory, practical, and data results from a variety of electrical, broadcast and commercial radio experts.
EACH piece of equipment should be connected by a single discrete unique conductor to THE SINGLE RF/STATION ground bonding point. NOT daisy-chained or looped between chassis/shield to other equipment. HOME RUNS folks!
There is NO expectation that THE ground point is capable of or meant to dissipate or absorb a lightning strike.
THE ground bonding point and grounding your equipment is intended to and can provide a SINGLE POINT to sink voltage differences between chassis, eliminate the differences of inter-chassis power and RF potentials and coupling, inhibit re-radiation of stray (power and RF) currents to other devices, and help keep AC/DC/RF currents off the AC-mains conductors, and augment safety ground.
Did you know typical earth ground resistance is above 200 ohms? That is most certainly NOT the zero-ohm impedance needed for proper radials/counterpoise for verticals. Different topic about antenna resonance, currents and function.
The National Electrical Code, and subsequently your local electrical code does have a grounding requirement for RF installations - NEC 810.
The first three links below provide considerable text and helpful graphics. Each article contains essentially the same/similar information which also corresponds to some degree with what is in-practice, recommended and even necessary in "RF shops" from small to large broadcast and two-way installations.
Articles from N0AX/Ward Silver, NR2B/Ron Block, and FlexRadio linked-to below all draw us to a common ubiquitous them. They are all specific and consistent, and track with NEC and commercial standards - JUST DO IT RIGHT!
The common thread through all of these is:
* the goal is to ensure any and all external/stray (not intentional as-in coax or twin-lead) RF is routed as directly as possible to EARTH. Not some long meandering inadequate 14 gauge electrical wire, or conduit looped through a power box.
* Power mains safety ground is NOT a good RF ground
* Your RF system should have its own stout, brute force, highly effective EARTH GROUND
* Each individual piece of RF station equipment, from power supplies to rotor control to antenna switch to receiver, transmitter and amplifier, tower(s) and antenna(s)/feedline should have their own individual dedicated ground wire running directly to the single unique RF ground rod/bus.
* The National Electrical Code, and where adopted, requires exterior antennas and structures to be grounded.
