Grounding?
- Thread starter bdresch
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You still need a ground wire from the dish to the switch, otherwise the dish can be damaged as well as the LNB's
nope
You just need good ground to both not the dish to the switch. one of my dishes is too far away to ground to the switch. The other is just a foot away.
Sorry, You are wrong, you need a ground wire from the dish to the switch. Most proper installations have a messenger wire that is part of the RG6 cable. This is how you can ground the dish without running a separate cable. Just wait till you have lightning hit the dish and the charge runs down the shield and blows the switch. Had it happen.
Man if lighting hits a dish it don't matter how it is grounded, anything connected to it is gonna blow.
The purpose of the ground is to disipate static build up. That is all.
The proper way to ground a system.
You have coax lines from the dish to the ground block. You also have either a blended 17 ga messanger wire or a seperate 10ga copper wire from dish to ground block. You then have a 10 ga solid copper line from ground block to house ground less than 20'. You can use a bonded cold water line as long as you are within 5' of the entry to the building.
The messanger wire or seperate ground wire connected at the dish should have it's own contact point. Using one of the bolts that hold the dish or mast does not meet code.
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Here is what you should see.
Notice the green ground screw on the foot of the dish.
Notice the loop of wire at the ground block. Those should be there on your install. They may have loops on each side, and it may look different, but they should be there. Also notice the cold wate spigot next to the ground block, that is not a proper ground.
Notice the green ground screw on the foot of the dish.
Notice the loop of wire at the ground block. Those should be there on your install. They may have loops on each side, and it may look different, but they should be there. Also notice the cold wate spigot next to the ground block, that is not a proper ground.
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I have had lightning hit my dish without a ground a long time ago and it fried everything from the receiver to the dish. Since it has been grounded properly it has been hit twice without blowing anything. I know the ground is for static buildup but it can also save the system sometimes. Anyone who does not have that ground from the dish to the switch and ground block is taking a chance. I learned my lesson but there are people on here that refuse to listen. I am done with this grounding blog because of the stupid people out there
This is not correct.
The following is excerpted from the great link left earlier by glgeek:
Installing radio and TV antenna systems
"If the mast isn't grounded properly, voltage surges caused by nearby lightning strikes can destroy it. Keep the grounding conductor straight, and protect it from physical damage.
If the mast isn't bonded properly, you risk flashovers and possible electrocution. Because bonding prevents a difference of potential between metallic objects and other conductive items, Art. 810 provides several different bonding requirements."
Your mast needs to be grounded for more than static discharge. If lightning strikes YOUR dish, then it wasn't grounded correctly and there is no telling how many, or which of your electrical appliances will survive. But when properly grounded, lightning won't strike your antenna because your antenna "looks" to lightning as if it is just the earth below. Lightning is looking for the best conductor and the best conductor will have a charge that it will draw to.
Still, lightning will strike nearby because of other non-grounded antennas and cause a voltage surge. This surge is likely not a problem for a properly grounded system (with connection to the dish) but can be a problem for incorrectly grounded systems.
Not exactly the same, but falls under the same title (grounding?).
I mounted an antenna on my parents roof. Recieved a phonomonal picture, and 14 channels.
I grounded the mast and coax, and now get only 5 with 3 having poor reception!? I litterally placed the grounding block for the coax on the antenna mast as the coax runs straight into the attick; I also have a single ground wire running from the ground block to the mast ground and then the length of the roof, down the side of the house, and into a ground rod.
I intend to do additional channel searches much later today and will also try to re-adjust the antenna on the roof.
Any other suggestions?
I mounted an antenna on my parents roof. Recieved a phonomonal picture, and 14 channels.
I grounded the mast and coax, and now get only 5 with 3 having poor reception!? I litterally placed the grounding block for the coax on the antenna mast as the coax runs straight into the attick; I also have a single ground wire running from the ground block to the mast ground and then the length of the roof, down the side of the house, and into a ground rod.
I intend to do additional channel searches much later today and will also try to re-adjust the antenna on the roof.
Any other suggestions?
I agree with Bross. Signal degradation resulting from incorrect grounding is probably why the ground has gotten ignored so much. The practice of running a wire directly into the attic was a lot more common in previous years and is still necessary in some situations. The problem with that is that there is rarely a good ground available in an attic.
I expect that your current reception problems are related to the length of the ground wire that is "running from the ground block to the mast ground and then the length of the roof, down the side of the house,". Instead of draining unwanted interference, I believe that the length of the wire negates the desired grounding effect while it increases the unwanted "ground loop" antenna effect. Grounding is to be done as close as possible to eliminate long ground wire lengths. This is why good dish and antenna placement is made by first considering where the proper ground is located when surveying the home.
Disconnect the ground wire from the antenna end. If the signal integrity (channels) return, then the length and choice of ground rod connection is incorrect and injecting noise INTO your system, rather than draining it out.
At my new(er) house, the dishes will be installed at the end of the house farthest away from the electric service entrance (and house ground).
So I drove in an 8 foot copper grounding rod right below where the dishes will be mounted, and ran #6 wire around the house and connected the NEW ground rod to main house ground rod. Nice big, lazy radius where I went around the house.
It wasn't hard to do and it didn't cost a lot of money. I seem to recall the #6 wire costing more than the copper ground rod. And the trenching was purposely just a turf cut because I know I'll be installing patios and putting on an addition, etc.
The point is, ground it correctly and you'll avoid a lot of wasted time and headaches.
So I drove in an 8 foot copper grounding rod right below where the dishes will be mounted, and ran #6 wire around the house and connected the NEW ground rod to main house ground rod. Nice big, lazy radius where I went around the house.
It wasn't hard to do and it didn't cost a lot of money. I seem to recall the #6 wire costing more than the copper ground rod. And the trenching was purposely just a turf cut because I know I'll be installing patios and putting on an addition, etc.
The point is, ground it correctly and you'll avoid a lot of wasted time and headaches.
If dish thought grounding was so important then they would do like the cable company and fire you for not grounding. They dont. If the ground is the only problem with your install you still pass QAS. We should ground them all and if they cant be bonded then dont do the install.
Thank you all for posting so quickly; Here is what I did today, other than run up and down a ladder about 15 times! I disconnected the ground from the coax, and ran the coax line directly into the antenna and same problem. I left the antenna mast and tripod ground in place.
Tomorrow I will be removing all grounds to find out one way or another if that was the issue. I know I can not leave them off due to building code; but to eliminate an issue... Any other ideas, please please let me know.
Tomorrow I will be removing all grounds to find out one way or another if that was the issue. I know I can not leave them off due to building code; but to eliminate an issue... Any other ideas, please please let me know.
In a commercial building, how is the best way to get it ground correctly, ground wire from dish to ground block and then from ground block bonded it to building steel frame (at roof) or to air condition unit.
and then did you bond that ground rod to the main house ground? code says you must.
bruce
So I've heard, I havn't gotten that far yet. I'm not sure how to but I havn't even looked into it yet.
