SYS: ONLINE|UTC --:--:--|BAND: Station infrastructure
SWR: 1.2PWR: 100WQTH: EN52
Power & Grounding

Ground Rod

The station earth electrode — the reference everything else bonds to.

HIGH VOLTAGE — DISCONNECT BEFORE SERVICING. Antennas, feedlines and power supplies can hold dangerous voltages and carry RF at full transmitter power.
Ground Rod engineering reference drawing
Specification summary
Length2.4 m (8 ft) is the common minimum
MaterialCopper-bonded steel, or solid copper for aggressive soils
DiameterTypically 12-16 mm
Target resistanceUnder 5 ohm is good; under 25 ohm is the usual safety requirement
DepthDriven below the frost line where possible
BondingAll rods bonded to a common bus with wide, short conductors
InspectionClamp and conductor checked annually for corrosion
Stage: Power
L: 2.4 mR: <5 ohmmat: Cu-BONDEDbond: COMMON

Overview

A ground rod is a copper-bonded steel electrode driven into the soil to give the station a low-impedance connection to earth. It serves two purposes: it provides a fault-current path for electrical safety, and it gives lightning and static discharge somewhere to go other than through your equipment.

The connection to soil is what matters, and soil is a poor conductor. A single rod may measure 25 to 100 ohms depending on moisture and soil type. Multiple rods spaced at least their own length apart, bonded together, reduce that — which is why a good station earth is a system rather than a single stake.

Bands and modes

Band coverage

Station infrastructure

Modes

All modes

Safety note

Before driving any rod, confirm there are no buried services — gas, water, electricity or communications — in the area. Contact with a buried power cable while driving a rod can be fatal. Call the local utility marking service first.

Using it well

  • Have buried services marked before you break ground.
  • Use multiple rods bonded together rather than one deep rod.
  • Keep bonding conductors short, wide and straight where possible.
  • Measure resistance with a dedicated earth tester, not a multimeter.
Reference material for educational use. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy a particular product, and no communication distance or performance is promised. Confirm figures against the equipment you actually have and against the regulations that apply where you operate.
Related

References that go with this one

Lightning Arrestor engineering reference drawing
Power

Lightning Arrestor

A sacrificial path to earth for the coax, so a surge does not go looking for your radio.

surge: 20 kAVc: 400 V
Power→
Feedline Choke engineering reference drawing
Antenna

Feedline Choke

Stops shield current on the coax, which is the usual cause of mysterious RF interference.

Z: >1000 ohmf: 3.5-30 MHz
Feedline→
Power Supply engineering reference drawing
Power

Power Supply

Clean regulated DC for the station, sized for the current the radio actually draws.

V: 13.8 VI: 30 A
Power→
Multimeter engineering reference drawing
Test

Multimeter

The first instrument anyone should own. Voltage, current, resistance and continuity.

Vdc: 600 VI: 10 A
Test Gear→

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