quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
I am ready to set up my antenna on the house roof and have all mounting hardware.
I have read discussions of grounding the antenna. Some say yes and some say no.

Looking for input from those that have a house roof mount.

This is for a GMRS repeater.

PC

That is exactly what I tried researching, some said no you do not need to broadcast and receive. But for $40 you can get a copper ground stake and a lightning arrestor from Amazon. I figure better safe than sorry, there is so much to learn it gets confusing.

OK, I ordered one of these antennas, proper connectors.

You got yer boy BNC and yer girl BNC and they get together, all natural-like and make little baby BNCs, and then all the little BNCs fly through the air and tell people what you said on yer radio. That's how it works

quote:

Originally posted by fischtown7:

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
I am ready to set up my antenna on the house roof and have all mounting hardware.
I have read discussions of grounding the antenna. Some say yes and some say no.

Looking for input from those that have a house roof mount.

This is for a GMRS repeater.

PC

That is exactly what I tried researching, some said no you do not need to broadcast and receive. But for $40 you can get a copper ground stake and a lightning arrestor from Amazon. I figure better safe than sorry, there is so much to learn it gets confusing.

For lightning protection, I would plan to disconnect your coax at the entrance to your house prior to a storm rolling in. Especially in Florida. Maybe in Wyoming. I wouldn’t rely on a ground rod and polyphaser thingy to protect your equipment. This topic gets more complicated than antennas really quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:

quote:

Originally posted by fischtown7:

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
I am ready to set up my antenna on the house roof and have all mounting hardware.
I have read discussions of grounding the antenna. Some say yes and some say no.

Looking for input from those that have a house roof mount.

This is for a GMRS repeater.

PC

That is exactly what I tried researching, some said no you do not need to broadcast and receive. But for $40 you can get a copper ground stake and a lightning arrestor from Amazon. I figure better safe than sorry, there is so much to learn it gets confusing.

For lightning protection, I would plan to disconnect your coax at the entrance to your house prior to a storm rolling in. Especially in Florida. Maybe in Wyoming. I wouldn’t rely on a ground rod and polyphaser thingy to protect your equipment. This topic gets more complicated than antennas really quickly.

I agree, I am almost always home or near the house. My antenna mast with antenna is about 20 foot, takes me all of 5 seconds to lift and lay it down in a bracket, even with arrestor will still disconnect.

A direct lightning strike or one that is close enough can and will get into everything and damage or destroy... Even household items....... All methods of grounding and insulating are questionable because the damage can come thru other pathways.... And IIRC how much protection is needed for a direct or very near strike.. How much energy are we talking about??? Has anyone ever recorded the amount of energy disapated from a lightning strike?????.... Suggest you follow your ideas as best that you can and hope for the best......................... drill sgt. aka KL7jiu

I agree Drill Sgt, we have lost electrical items from near misses a few times. I have a question about arrestors, do they also work as a ground under normal conditions? In other words dissipating static or charge build up.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
For lightning protection, I would plan to disconnect your coax at the entrance to your house prior to a storm rolling in. Especially in Florida. Maybe in Wyoming. I wouldn’t rely on a ground rod and polyphaser thingy to protect your equipment. This topic gets more complicated than antennas really quickly.

How many homes have cable TV, cable internet, satellite TV, regular over the air TV antennas? How many of the owner’s of those homes disconnect their cables if there’s the threat of lightning?

The cable coax that feeds my home runs on power poles for miles and miles in Florida, the lightning capitol of the world. At the house, that coax is connected to a block mounted in a box on the outside of my garage. The coax going into my house is connected to the other side of that block. That block has a ground wire running to a ground rod.

I don’t know about this stuff, but it seems to be working.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
https://n9taxlabs.com

I also have one. Mine is setup for more of a mobile rig, toss a weight up a tree and haul it up. For Ghostnet JS8

quote:

Originally posted by fischtown7:

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
I am ready to set up my antenna on the house roof and have all mounting hardware.
I have read discussions of grounding the antenna. Some say yes and some say no.

Looking for input from those that have a house roof mount.

This is for a GMRS repeater.

PC

That is exactly what I tried researching, some said no you do not need to broadcast and receive. But for $40 you can get a copper ground stake and a lightning arrestor from Amazon. I figure better safe than sorry, there is so much to learn it gets confusing.

For those of you who are adding extra ground rods in your yard, please be aware of the NEC (and safety) implications if this ground is electrically wired, via this and that, to the home's main ground electrode system (normally near your electrical panel).

As a real life example, you put in another ground rod outside, which is connected to the shield of your coax. This coax is plugged into an AC powered radio in which the chassis is (correctly) tied to your 3rd (ground) prong on the AC cord/outlet. Now you've added another grounding point to your home without regard to NEC.

NEC would require the home's existing ground (near the panel) and the new ground rod that you added to be tied together with a very heavy gauge wire.

quote:

I am ready to set up my antenna on the house roof and have all mounting hardware.
I have read discussions of grounding the antenna. Some say yes and some say no.

Not sure what you mean by "grounding the antenna" but NEC would require lightning protection if that's what you mean.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

NEC would require the main panel's ground point and the new ground rod that you added to be tied together with a very heavy gauge wire.

Is this referred to as "bonding"?

quote:

I am ready to set up my antenna on the house roof and have all mounting hardware.
I have read discussions of grounding the antenna. Some say yes and some say no.

Not sure what you mean by "grounding the antenna" but NEC would require lightning protection if that's what you mean.

Yes, lightening protection is what I meant.
May I email you questions so this thread does not get too detailed?

PC

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:

May I email you questions so this thread does not get too detailed?

PC

Well, actually, my preference would be to keep it in the forum for several reasons:

-Others might have the same question
-I worked under a licensed electrician as an electrician helper in college, but that was a long time ago and it's best if my responses are in an open forum, so others, like Skins (hint, hint) can jump in if I say something which is different now from the way it was in the 1980's
-As others respond, I learn new things accordingly.

I hope that's ok. I think details are fine. Heck the pistols section would be less appealing without the details that we all learn and take from there

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
For lightning protection, I would plan to disconnect your coax at the entrance to your house prior to a storm rolling in. Especially in Florida. Maybe in Wyoming. I wouldn’t rely on a ground rod and polyphaser thingy to protect your equipment. This topic gets more complicated than antennas really quickly.

How many homes have cable TV, cable internet, satellite TV, regular over the air TV antennas? How many of the owner’s of those homes disconnect their cables if there’s the threat of lightning?

The cable coax that feeds my home runs on power poles for miles and miles in Florida, the lightning capitol of the world. At the house, that coax is connected to a block mounted in a box on the outside of my garage. The coax going into my house is connected to the other side of that block. That block has a ground wire running to a ground rod.

I don’t know about this stuff, but it seems to be working.

If you can connect your antenna ground to your power main ground that you mentioned with a short heavy gauge wire you might get lucky. Having two ground rods is no good. It’s a hotly debated topic.

quote:

I have a question about arrestors, do they also work as a ground under normal conditions? In other words dissipating static or charge build up.

The arresters I'm familiar with do ground the outer conductor of the coax directly.

If the center conductor of the coax has enough of a voltage difference between it and the outer conductor, the arrester should activate and short the excess to ground.

They can work to drain static charges off of the coax, or accidental contact of your antenna with another power source.

If lightning strikes your antenna, all bets are off but you did your best.

quote:

Originally posted by Some Shot:
...... or accidental contact of your antenna with another power source.

wait. what? specifically Which arrestor model protects when such an accidental contact occurs? link?

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

quote:

Originally posted by Some Shot:
...... or accidental contact of your antenna with another power source.

wait. what? specifically Which arrestor model protects when such an accidental contact occurs? link?

I don't come here to show off or argue. (That's what I have Family for.)

I was answering a simple question.

Based on 58 years of electronics training, education, and experience I'm confident that that poor little lightning arrestor would take any spurious voltage at the antenna to ground within the limits of it's ability to pass the current, until it burned out.

If the neighbor's CATV drop blew loose up into your antenna, your radio would probably be safe. If a 35KV line fell on your antenna, probably not.

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
https://n9taxlabs.com

I also have one. Mine is setup for more of a mobile rig, toss a weight up a tree and haul it up. For Ghostnet JS8

They are great travel antennas for sure.

Thanks a lot Para, something else I did not know that I needed.

This video shows my concept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfBmQ3I4v7U
I have the identical antenna.

Repurpose a dish network base (already installed) to install an antenna on the roof. I plane to run RG-8X to the outside of the house (about 25 feet). Then attach a TT3G50 and pass a 6 foot RG-8X through to the repeater.
I am planning to run a sheathed single stand copper wire from the dish base to an 8 foot copper coated steel rod buried in the ground. Another section of sheathed copper wire will be be connected from the TT3G50 to the copper coated steel rod in the ground.

Any suggestions appreciated.
My only question is what gauge sheathed copper wire should I use?

Still researching the technique of bonding the copper rod to the house ground. Any help will be appreciated.

PC

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFYufYDZjN8

Ed Fong makes a good antenna.

This! My first antenna purchases for vhf/uhf was Ed Fong pole roll ups. I used a thinner coax and keep on in my go bag. I also put one in a pvc pipe and mounted it to my home for my first vhf antenna. I have some more permanent antennas for a 50 watt vhf radio now but keep the roll ups in my bag and one in the camper. We used a similar antenna system in the jungle in the 101st in the mid to late 80’s and used a MrE spoon as an insulator between the hoisting rope and antenna.