good ground
07-20-2009, 07:12 AM
#12
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The bracket is not the important thing to ground. The coax shield IS. It's not necessary to grint paint off of anything. That'll just lead to rust. You can easily attach a wire to the antenna shield by soldering it to the bottom side of the barrel connector that goes through the Tereflex mount. There's plenty of room for the female coax connector to screw on still. Then just run the other end to the tub. That way, you don't have to worry about the tailgate or the bracket being grounded, because the shield IS. Like this:
I know the wire's red. Red primary wire is all I had, but it's a ground.
I know the wire's red. Red primary wire is all I had, but it's a ground.
Actually it is good idea to ground all large metal surfaces when operating a radio whether you are using am/fm, cb, or HAM. That is why the factory runs a ground strap to the hood. It is so the antenna has a good ground plane to reflect from. I remember my old cars had ground straps on the hood and trunk.
07-21-2009, 08:48 AM
#13
All I can say is I've been doing it the way I showed for a very long time. Seen others do it the same way....a very long time. In the end, the mount has absolutely nothing to do with the system electrically. These newer antennas like the Firestik and such are omni directional, just like an Antron 99 base antenna. Never had any kinda ground plane on those. I've run way more wattage than I wanna talk about here through antenna systems wired just as I showed for literally years with no ill affects. You asked a question and I answered it showing the way it has worked for me. Sounds to me like you already "knew" how you wanted to run it so why even ask?
07-21-2009, 09:36 AM
#14
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Actually IMO Rob, I like the way yours is grounded the best 
. It's the "purest" way to make sure you have a good ground, (shield to ground). I would definitely recommend others to get this type of inline cable fitting so that you can run a separate ground wire directly from the shield.
My point was that some other types of cable connectors dont allow you to add a ground wire directly to the cable/antenna shield and you are forced to use the bracket. If i knew now what i didnt know then, i would have done it your way and skipped the "firering" connector that forces you to ground the bracket.
. It's the "purest" way to make sure you have a good ground, (shield to ground). I would definitely recommend others to get this type of inline cable fitting so that you can run a separate ground wire directly from the shield.My point was that some other types of cable connectors dont allow you to add a ground wire directly to the cable/antenna shield and you are forced to use the bracket. If i knew now what i didnt know then, i would have done it your way and skipped the "firering" connector that forces you to ground the bracket.
07-21-2009, 11:12 AM
#15
Actually IMO Rob, I like the way yours is grounded the best . It's the "purest" way to make sure you have a good ground, (shield to ground). I would definitely recommend others to get this type of inline cable fitting so that you can run a separate ground wire directly from the shield.
My point was that some other types of cable connectors dont allow you to add a ground wire directly to the cable/antenna shield and you are forced to use the bracket. If i knew now what i didnt know then, i would have done it your way and skipped the "firering" connector that forces you to ground the bracket.
. It's the "purest" way to make sure you have a good ground, (shield to ground). I would definitely recommend others to get this type of inline cable fitting so that you can run a separate ground wire directly from the shield.My point was that some other types of cable connectors dont allow you to add a ground wire directly to the cable/antenna shield and you are forced to use the bracket. If i knew now what i didnt know then, i would have done it your way and skipped the "firering" connector that forces you to ground the bracket.
07-21-2009, 02:05 PM
#16
JK Jedi Master
You really used RG-8? That's big stuff!
About grounds: There's something about RF: It's all FM (Frickin' Magic). Once you understand that, then you realize that if what you're doing with RF works, great, because it's all FM. And if it doesn't work, of course it doesn't, because it's all FM and no one really understands it.
It sounds like Redneck's installation practice works, and that's the bottom line consideration. Ground loops are a valid concern and can be the source of standing waves that cause SWR problems. But, because all RF is FM, it's better to just stick with what works for you. And don't be surprised if it doesn't work for the next guy.
About grounds: There's something about RF: It's all FM (Frickin' Magic). Once you understand that, then you realize that if what you're doing with RF works, great, because it's all FM. And if it doesn't work, of course it doesn't, because it's all FM and no one really understands it.
It sounds like Redneck's installation practice works, and that's the bottom line consideration. Ground loops are a valid concern and can be the source of standing waves that cause SWR problems. But, because all RF is FM, it's better to just stick with what works for you. And don't be surprised if it doesn't work for the next guy.
07-21-2009, 06:28 PM
#18
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That's an understatement for sure....lol. They can be a HUGE problem, and if there's a chance for one to happen........it will...!!! But most don't know what a ground loop is. To them I say....Google search is your friend.....
08-01-2009, 10:10 AM
#19
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The coax shield grounds out to the cannon plug which is grounded to the mount. Depending on the mount material a bolt there with a ground wire shouldn't make significant differences compared to the coax shielding ground. The length of the ground wire can have adverse effects from everything I've read. Like if you ran a groundwire from the coax all the way to the front bumper to complete the ground it would have ill effects on reception I believe.
08-05-2009, 06:02 PM
#20
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Well there seems to be several different opinions on how to ground. I just know what works for me. I've got an aluminum bracket and the ground is going from the bottom bracket hole to the tub.(pic is work in progress, the wire's not tied in yet) My SWR readings are 1.1 to 1.4 so I'll stick with what I know works.