Ham Radio ground & bond help

[chwithad]

Sorry in advance for the super long post....I'm in the process of setting up my Icom 7300 radio and have a question regarding the bonding of the additional ground rod I'll be adding to the house ground rod. The house ground rod is located at the back corner of the home and I plan to install my radio on the 2nd floor bedroom on the front side of the house. I know the ground should be placed at the closest entry point, which would mean installing the new ground rod below the 2nd floor window. This is where I'm running into a bind - the whole side of the house (left side - closest between current ground rod and room where my Icom will go) is the driveway with an extension away from the house for the 3 car garage. Can I bond these without trenching under the driveway? Going all the way around the other side of the house doesn't seem efficient. We'll probably be moving in the next 5 years, so anything super permanent isn't realistic unfortunately. Would it be to code to run the ground above the 3 garage doors through conduit/pvc? The house is brick on 3 sides and siding on the back. I'm 3/4 of the way through the ARRL book on grounding and bonding and I'm also an amateur extra, and I'm still stumped. I'm at work typing this on my phone and can't seem to attach a pic of my house. I'll keep trying since that would definitely help give you a visual idea. Thanks for any help I can get.

 

[tortuga]

Sorry in advance for the super long post....I'm in the process of setting up my Icom 7300 radio and have a question regarding the bonding of the additional ground rod I'll be adding to the house ground rod. The house ground rod is located at the back corner of the home and I plan to install my radio on the 2nd floor bedroom on the front side of the house. I know the ground should be placed at the closest entry point, which would mean installing the new ground rod below the 2nd floor window. This is where I'm running into a bind - the whole side of the house (left side - closest between current ground rod and room where my Icom will go) is the driveway with an extension away from the house for the 3 car garage. Can I bond these without trenching under the driveway? Going all the way around the other side of the house doesn't seem efficient. We'll probably be moving in the next 5 years, so anything super permanent isn't realistic unfortunately. Would it be to code to run the ground above the 3 garage doors through conduit/pvc? The house is brick on 3 sides and siding on the back. I'm 3/4 of the way through the ARRL book on grounding and bonding and I'm also an amateur extra, and I'm still stumped. I'm at work typing this on my phone and can't seem to attach a pic of my house. I'll keep trying since that would definitely help give you a visual idea. Thanks for any help I can get.

Were not supposed to give DIY advise, but since your only asking about grounding and are a licensed ham they may allow it if its just grounding.
I'd say you don't need an additional ground rod for electrical code reasons but if you do install one for RF you need to run a #6 bare to your existing ones.
If I am reading the code right (see NEC 810.58) it says you can simply run a bonding conductor from your protector/discharge to the existing ground rods that is the same AWG as your lead in conductor and not smaller than 10AWG.

 

[LarryFine]

The main reason that separate rods must be tied together is that nearby lightning strikes could otherwise force high voltage differences between them, and likely damage your equipment.

 

[Jraef]

I am closing this thread, in accordance with the Forum rules. This Forum is intended to assist professional electricians, inspectors, engineers, and other members of the electrical industry in the performance of their job-related tasks. However, if you are not an electrician or an electrical contractor, then we are not permitted to help you perform your own electrical installation work.


If I have misjudged the situation, if for example this project is related to your work, then send me a Private Message. If you can show me that I am wrong, and that you are a licensed electrician (or at least a licensed apprentice), then I will reopen your post, and offer an apology for the delay and inconvenience.

A reminder to all members, if you see a questionable post, feel free to report it by clicking the Report Button at the lower left hand corner of the post