Hello,
Can anyone offer me a little advice on the grouding of my SW
receivers? I have a couple old Soviet SW radios, a Sony SW77, Sangean
ATS909 and a new Degen 1102. I want to make a ground that will work
well with any of these receivers. What material is best? Copper,
Iron, Steel etc? A rod or plate? What is the best type of cable to
use as a lead-in to the receiver? Is there an ideal length?
Depending on where the radio will be the lenght could be anything from
5ft to 30ft. Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Alan

Have you tried tying a wire to your COLD water line?

--
Gregg
*It's probably useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

Alan J Giddings wrote:

Hello,
Can anyone offer me a little advice on the grouding of my SW
receivers? I have a couple old Soviet SW radios, a Sony SW77, Sangean
ATS909 and a new Degen 1102. I want to make a ground that will work
well with any of these receivers. What material is best? Copper,
Iron, Steel etc? A rod or plate? What is the best type of cable to
use as a lead-in to the receiver? Is there an ideal length?
Depending on where the radio will be the lenght could be anything from
5ft to 30ft. Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Alan

First, you need to understand the difference between a ground for
protecting against power surges or lightning and a ground intended for
lowering the noise level at the receiver. The first kind is easy to do.
You just run a fairly heavy wire (#12) from the receiver chassis to the
nearest earth ground, which can be a cold water pipe (if it's all metal
plumbing) or a ground rod outside the house. Also use a surge protector
for the receiver's power supply. Ground the protector to the same earth
ground for the receiver.
The second kind of ground is called an RF ground. This helps to reduce
noise on the antenna system from sources in your house like televisions,
computers and other applicances. This is harder to do well. I suggest
you look at the following website for more information on building a low
noise antenna system. Good luck.

http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/ante...e_antenna.html


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

You're most likely to blow out the radio by grounding it. The power
grid produces all sorts of voltages between different grounds,
and any difference flows through your radio if you ground it without
some theoretical care. Not to mention what happens in a thunderstorm.
Your cold water pipes (if metal) are common to the house ground and
so least threatening but it's still tempting fate. All the radio needs
is a counterpoise to its whip; the wall wart supplies that already,
capacitively.

If you have a multimeter, measure the AC (not DC) voltage between
two ground stakes driven in say twenty feet apart. Usually it's
about a half a volt. The earth is alive out there.

If you have an outdoor antenna and a coax feed, grounding begins to
make sense in noise reduction, to prevent noise from the house from
making it into the antenna as much as possible.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

AJG,

Here is a Compilation of a few "Ground" Messages posted to the
Shortwave Listerner (SWL) Antennas and AM & FM Antennas eGroup
on YAHOO:

* The UN-Ground when your Receiver is NOT Ground Zero !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/471

* Ground Zero for your Receiver
= For the Earth of It, There Is a Ground !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/470

* Ground Confusion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/445

* The "Grounding-Point" = Ground Rods and Ground Wires ETC.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/425

* GROUNDING = A Process of Alternatives
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/212

* An OutSide Ground for Better Safety and more . . .
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/206

* Indoor and Ouside Antenna Grounding
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...nna/message/77


iane ~ RHF
..
All are WELCOME at the "Antenna Ashram"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWL-AM...na/message/502
..
..
= = = (Alan J Giddings)
= = = wrote in message . com...

Hello,

Can anyone offer me a little advice on the grouding of my SW
receivers? I have a couple old Soviet SW radios, a Sony SW77,
Sangean ATS909 and a new Degen 1102. I want to make a ground
that will work well with any of these receivers. What material
is best? Copper, Iron, Steel etc? A rod or plate? What is the
best type of cable to use as a lead-in to the receiver? Is there
an ideal length? Depending on where the radio will be the lenght
could be anything from 5ft to 30ft.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Alan

..

"Ron Hardin" wrote in message
...
You're most likely to blow out the radio by grounding it.

Horse****.

All the radio needs
is a counterpoise to its whip; the wall wart supplies that already,
capacitively.

There is some truth to this.

If you have a multimeter, measure the AC (not DC) voltage between
two ground stakes driven in say twenty feet apart. Usually it's
about a half a volt. The earth is alive out there.

That's why the NEC requires all grounds to be bonded togeter.

starman wrote in message ...
Alan J Giddings wrote:

Hello,
Can anyone offer me a little advice on the grouding of my SW
receivers? I have a couple old Soviet SW radios, a Sony SW77, Sangean
ATS909 and a new Degen 1102. I want to make a ground that will work
well with any of these receivers. What material is best? Copper,
Iron, Steel etc? A rod or plate? What is the best type of cable to
use as a lead-in to the receiver? Is there an ideal length?
Depending on where the radio will be the lenght could be anything from
5ft to 30ft. Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Alan


Myself, I hardly think it's worth the trouble with most portables. If
you see an improvement, it will probably be in the LW/MW spectrum. On
the higher HF bands, there is little help in adding a ground unless
you have some kind of wierd antenna issue, or little antenna at all. I
bet you will notice little difference in most cases, unless your
antenna is small and lame. A ground is not required for quiet radio
reception. In fact, ground is a noise source. I use no outside
grounding at all to my shack. I have outside grounds, but they are a
lightning return. Most of my antennas are complete, and require no rf
ground to properly function. The only one I have that does, is a 160m
inverted L. It requires an rf ground at the base of the antenna to
provide the "lower half". All my others are dipoles, yagi's, etc, that
are complete antennas in themselves and require no extra rf ground.
This is the preferred route to go if possible.


The second kind of ground is called an RF ground. This helps to reduce
noise on the antenna system from sources in your house like televisions,
computers and other applicances. This is harder to do well. I suggest
you look at the following website for more information on building a low
noise antenna system. Good luck.

Maybe semi-misleading...It's the improved decoupling of the feedline
from the antenna that reduces the noise level. "noise ingress" Not
the grounding itself, although the grounding helps in the decoupling
of the line. Ground is a noise source. An RF ground should be under an
antenna to provide it's "lower half" if it requires it. IE: 1/4 wave
vertical, etc.. So if you use a balanced antenna that requires no
"lower half", IE: 1/2 wave dipole, 1 wave loop, etc, you need no rf
ground at all. MK


http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/ante...e_antenna.html

Mark Keith wrote:

It's the improved decoupling of the feedline
from the antenna that reduces the noise level. "noise ingress" Not
the grounding itself, although the grounding helps in the decoupling
of the line.

I think we're talking semantics here, but how else could you decouple
the feedline of an inverted-L antenna other than using an effective
(short) earth ground connection?


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

Counterpoise.

"starman" wrote in message
...
I think we're talking semantics here, but how else could you decouple
the feedline of an inverted-L antenna other than using an effective
(short) earth ground connection?

AJG,

Grounds & Grounding = Five Topics for your Consideration

FIRST - Check Your A/C Power Outlets with an A/C Outlet Analyzer
like the RadioShack # 22-141. This simple devise WARNS you of
Faulty Wiring in 3-Prong 110-125 VAC Outlets in your Household.

Detects and Indicates:
* Normal Wiring
* Bad Ground
* Open Neutral
* Reversed Hot/Neutral
* Reversed Hot/Ground
* Open Hot

Plus the newest version:
Tests for Correct Operation of Ground Fault Circuit Isolators.

NOTE: Remove this Analyzer from the packaging very carefully

SAVE: The Backing Card with the Printed Test Instructions
(These Instructions are Valuable)

IMHO: EVERY HOME OWNER SHOULD HAVE ONE OF THESE !

WHY: An external outside Earth Ground Rod with Ground Wire System
for your Radio Reception Equipment and and Antennas is Actually a
HAZARD if your Household Wiring is Bad.

TBL: SO CHECK YOUR HOUSEHOLD A/C ELECTRICAL OUTLETS FIRST [.]
NOTE: Often a Bad A/C Electrical Outlet is the Source of RFI.


SECOND - Making USE Of A GROUND When NO Other Ground Is Available.

WHY: Often this is necessary because there is not other ground
available; the Radio is being run on Batteries; a Wall Wart is
being used and the output is isolated/insulated from the A/C Ground.
This simply provides a basic External Ground Directly to the
Radio at a place designated on the Radio like a Ground Terminal
or SO-239 Jack.

WHAT: Buy a standard Heavy Duty (Appliance Type) Black Rubber
"Three Prong Plug" for use as the Ground Interface with your
Household Wiring and to create the 'external' Grounding Point.

CAUTION: Only connect the ROUND Ground (Green) Prong to a
16-18 AWG Stranded Green Colored Insulated Wire of 5-10 Feet
Length with a Slotted Terminal or Alligator Chip at the other end.
(Simply Do Not Use the two blade prongs.) Why use a Green Colored
Wire because "Green" represents Household Electrical Wiring Ground.

CONNECTION: Connect the Slotted Terminal or Alligator Clip to
the Ground Connection of the Radio like the Ground Terminal or
SO-239 Jack.


THIRD - Ground your Antenna(s) at the Antenna to Feed-in-Line
Junction (outside and the building) For Noise (RFI) Reduction
use Coax Cable as a Feed-in-Line from the Antenna to the Radio
and Equipment. This outside Ground Point becomes the "Primary"
Ground for your Antenna System.


FOURTH - For Your Personal Safety and to Protect your Radio Equipment:
* Disconnect the Antenna when the Radio is not in use and during
Electrical (T&L) Storms.
* Buy a SO-239 Connector and wire the center pin to the outer
threaded fastener. (Shorted) Connect this to your Shack's
Equipement Ground BUS if you bave one.
* When the Coax Cable is Disconnected from the Radio: Connect
the Coax Cable to the SO-239 Shorting Plug.
* When Disconnected, Keep the Coax Cable at least 18" away from
the Radio. Your Shack's Equipement Ground BUS should be at least
12"-18" away from all your equipment.
* Additionally during Electrical (T&L) Storms Un-Plug (Disconnect)
the Radios and Equipment from the A/C Wall Outlet(s).


FIFTH - HOW TO: Install the Ground ROD into the Ground:
(Eazy installation of Ground RODs)
* Dig a One to Two Foot Deep Hole 6"-9" Wide.
* Fill the Hole with Water and wait till it soaks into hole.
(If really dry, fill with more water and wait. Repeat this
process if necessary and waiting over a day and/or night is OK.)
* Now begin the Implantation of the ROD into the Ground.
* * First try simply Pushing the ROD into Ground for a few feet.
* * Use home made ROD Driver (A Two Feet piece of 1" Iron Pipe
with a Nipple on one end.) Slide it over the Top of the ROD
and use it to Tap the ROD into the Ground for a few more feet.
* * Finally use a Sledge Hammer or Heavy Object to Pound the
ROD into the Ground still using the Rod Driver over the ROD until
the Top of the ROD is level with the surounding Ground.
(Remove the ROD Driver and clean-up the surface of the ROD.)
* Attach the Ground Wires using a Heavy Duty Ground Wire Clamp
designed specifically to make this type of connection.
* Fill the Hole with a "50 / 50 Mixture" of original Soil (50%)
and the other (50%) made up of these parts of 1/2 "Bentonite"
(clay kitty litter); 1/3 Epson Salt; and 1/6 Copper Sulfate
works well 'in-the-ground' around ground rod. Water this down
and 'tamp-it-down' lightly over the next few days.


SIXTH - Your specific questions are answered in the body of your message.


iane ~ RHF
..
..
= = = (Alan J Giddings)
= = = wrote in message . com...\
RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR RMR

Hello,

Can anyone offer me a little advice on the grounding of my SW
receivers? I have a couple old Soviet SW radios, a Sony SW77,
Sangean ATS-909 and a new Degen 1102. I want to make a ground
that will work well with any of these receivers.

Q - What material is best? Copper, Iron, Steel etc? A rod or plate?

=R= The most commonly used "Earthen Grounding Devise" is a
Eight Foot (8 Ft.) Copper Clad Steel Ground Rod.

Read "HOW TO: Install the Ground ROD into the Ground:" above.

Q - What is the best type of cable to use as a lead-in to the receiver?

=R= The most common type of connector from the Ground Rod to the
Radios and Equipment is Heavy Duty #8-#10 AWG Copper Wire this can
be Solid Bare Copper Wire or Seven Stranded Insulated Copper Wire.

Q - Is there an ideal length?

=R= The Shortest and most direct route as possible.

Depending on where the radio will be the lenght could be anything
from 5 Ft to 30 Ft.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Alan

..

I Am Glad You Asked ~ RHF

..