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Re: lv-ab: Ground plane

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Date: Tue Aug 10 2004 - 18:32:11 EDT

  • Next message: James Maynard: "RE: lv-ab: Inverters... pure sine or modified?"

    The bottom line is, it is not an exact science. Some get excellent results
    with a piece of wire hauled up on a halyard and no ground. Just about
    anything will work to some degree and the evaluation of how well it works is
    very empirical making comparison of different techniques nearly impossible.

    Over the years, there are some basic techniques that are consistently
    reliable but may or may not be required in an individual installation.

    So when doing a new installation, you follow as many of the accepted
    guidelines that you can to try to get the best results. Compromise is the
    overriding factor and you give it your best shot.

    Regards,

    Andina Marie Foster,

      ----- Original Message -----
      From: Roger Rippy
      To: ;
      Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 6:09 PM
      Subject: Re: lv-ab: Ground plane

      I really do not disagree; technically, you are absolutely correct. But
    having said that, my experiences suggest that radio propagation (sun spots,
    etc.) have a more dramatic effect on how well I communicate and at what
    distances than transmitted power and other such factors. I have always hated
    to put any additional holes through the hull of my boats and have avoided an
    external grounding plate. My SSB/ham rig works OK with the current grounding
    approach; but there probably is room for improvement. Thanks for sharing
    your thoughts. Regards, Roger Rippy SV Tin Cup

       wrote:
        This may work but is not optimum for SSB radio frequency grounding. To
    get
        a large ground plane you need to engage a large surface of the seawater.
    A
        through hull fitting will not meet these requirements. A metal keel will
    be
        a fairly good substitute if you have one.

        Regards,

        Andina Marie Foster,
        

        ----- Original Message -----
        From: Roger Rippy
        To:
        Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 1:00 PM
        Subject: lv-ab: Ground plane

        IMHO, if you are a salt water cruising boat, I would simply use some
        grounding braid like you can purchase from a ham radio outfit like
    Amatuer
        Electronic Suppy and run the ground braid from the grounding post of
    both
        the transciever and the tuner directly to the closest thru-hull
    (provided
        that the thru-hull is bronze). I even ground my vertical ant enna (hf
        antenna - hustler vertical with screw on resonators) directly to the
    rudder
        post. The long wire (backstay) does not need grounding.

        This set up works very well in saltwater and even brackish water.
    Standing
        wave ratio (SWR) is tuned by the tuner to a very acceptable level.

        On a previous boat, we used copper screen that was lining the hull and
        grounded to a thru-hull, but the performance was not noticably better.

        Regards,
        Roger Rippy
        SV Tin Cup
        W7RIP

        ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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  • Next message: James Maynard: "RE: lv-ab: Inverters... pure sine or modified?"



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