Grounding SSB Unit (not ground plane)

demonboy

demonboy

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Morning,

This is a bit of a dunce's question - I'm almost too embarrassed to ask it! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I need to ground my SSB radio. Where can I ground it? The unit is sitting next to a whole load of other electronics by my chart table but I don't see a great big ground cable coming out of them. Clearly this needs its own ground going to somewhere but I'm unsure where.

Any tips/clues? What should I be looking for? Anything obvious behind my control panel? What kind of cable do I use?
 
My Icom 706 works fine without a separate ground in addition to the ground plane. However you can I believe run a wire down to a seacock or similar.
In fact it seems to me that the case is grounded anyway via the coax sheath but no doubt others more knowledgeable will explain!
 
No it is not a dunce question. I take it you have placed the auto tuner as near to the antenna as possible and it is already earthed correctly in sme way using if possible copper strip or tube.

It may not be necessary to ground the radio however if you suspect problems then it should be fine as David says by connecting to a bronze sea fitting which is not ground looped to the boat earthing system. IE a separate earth.
 
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I take it you have placed the auto tuner as near to the antenna as possible and it is already earthed correctly

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Actually I'm working the other way round. I'm starting my installation from the radio end... but yes, I will be grounding exactly as you suggest.
 
I have mine grounded to a keelbolt with copper strip.Acording to the Icom literature a seacock is not a good idea because it may promote elctrosis,but then they say the same of the keel...all two tons of it.
 
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My Icom 706 works fine without a separate ground in addition to the ground plane. However you can I believe run a wire down to a seacock or similar.
In fact it seems to me that the case is grounded anyway via the coax sheath but no doubt others more knowledgeable will explain!

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Same radio and agree entirely. If the OP is using an ATU, the sheath from that will be grounded to the keel, sintered plate or whatever so the radio itself will be grounded via that route.

Mine's been aboard for over twelve years with no special grounding and we've experienced no problems at all.
 
What about the control cable as well as the coax? Should the control cable be connected to the ground points at both ends?
 
Don't ground the radio, just the ATU and it should all be ok if not then start looking at the radio end, but it should be fine. None of my radios are grounded and no problems to date.
 
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What about the control cable as well as the coax? Should the control cable be connected to the ground points at both ends?

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ICOM say yes, and the book I have acknowledges this, but says do NOT connect the control cable ground at the tuner end to avoid ground loop problems, also that the transceiver should NOT be grounded to the same copper strip(ground plane) as the tuner, for the same reason.
 
I have run 4 fairly thick (circa 2.5mm2) wires from the tuner along the length of the hull, next to the hull, inside, from the tuner (mounted under back stay inside hull) towards the bow. They are approx evenly spread out across the boat, one each just below waterline, and one either side of centre.
These are capacitively connected to the sea, by being only the hull thickness away from the sea.
This works well for me.
(Transceiver is a Yaesu FT857)
The control cable is not connected to ground.
 
I have the same set up as Demonboy, and am reading all his posts avidly to get any clues myself.... so failed on that front!

FWIW, my take is that the unit only needs an RF ground.... which in my case will be back through the coax sheath, and then to the grounding shoe, via the copper strip from ATU to grounding shoe.... but no idea if it'll work or not yet
 
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