grounding a dish in apartments

[dishguy]

i live in a apartment and i was wondering if i were to stick a 8 ft ground rod into the earth, would that be considered a good ground???? there are certain restrictions my company says that my ground rod has to be grounded to a main ground source.

 

[iwire]

Re: grounding a dish in apartments

Originally posted by dishguy:
i live in a apartment and i was wondering if i were to stick a 8 ft ground rod into the earth, would that be considered a good ground????

Sure...as soon as you bond that rod to the apartment buildings existing grounding electrode system.

 

[jeff43222]

Re: grounding a dish in apartments

Your company is right. Any dish grounding you do should be bonded with the building's grounding electrode system so as to avoid ground skew. If you do it the way you suggested, you could possibly wind up with a voltage difference between the dish ground and the one that ultimately connects to the TV. You want to avoid having such a voltage difference on any grounding conductors.

[ November 22, 2004, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: jeff43222 ]

 

[iwire]

Re: grounding a dish in apartments

ARTICLE 810 Radio and Television Equipment

810.1 Scope.

This article covers antenna systems for radio and television receiving equipment, amateur radio transmitting and receiving equipment, and certain features of transmitter safety. This article covers antennas such as multi-element, vertical rod, and dish, and also covers the wiring and cabling that connects them to equipment. This article does not cover equipment and antennas used for coupling carrier current to power line conductors.

810.21 Grounding Conductors ? Receiving Stations.

Grounding conductors shall comply with 810.21(A) through (J).(F) Electrode. The grounding conductor shall be connected as follows:

(1)To the nearest accessible location on the following:

a.The building or structure grounding electrode system as covered in 250.50

b.The grounded interior metal water piping systems, within 1.52 m (5 ft) from its point of entrance to the building, as covered in 250.52

c.The power service accessible means external to the building, as covered in 250.94

d.The metallic power service raceway

e.The service equipment enclosure, or

f.The grounding electrode conductor or the grounding electrode conductor metal enclosures; or

(2)If the building or structure served has no grounding means, as described in 810.21(F)(1), to any one of the individual electrodes described in 250.52; or

(3)If the building or structure served has no grounding means, as described in 810.21(F)(1) or (F)(2), to an effectively grounded metal structure or to any of the individual electrodes described in 250.52.

[ November 22, 2004, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: iwire ]

 

[dereckbc]

Re: grounding a dish in apartments

dishguy, if you bond as you suggested, you would be inviolation of the code previously mentioned by iwire. You are asking for damaged equipment or a fire in the event of a nearby lightning strike or accidental contact with HV. In addition it is possible to introduce unwanted noise.