Coax Lightning Arrestor

[W3DDF]

The coax for my 6BTV vertical enters my house near the electric panel.  I would like to put an outdoor lighning arrestor in the coax. The electric service ground rod is only a few feet away. Can I run a ground wire from the lighning arrestor to the electric service ground rod or should I use a separate ground rod?

[K2QB]

Ideally ALL of your staion ground(s) should be bonded to the electrical entrance ground to eliminate any ground loops. So tieing your coax arrestor ground to it is the preferred way to go. If you were to sink in another ground rod elsewhere for your station grounding, it should be connected (bonded) to the electrical entrance groiund as well.

[KB1VCZ]

The coax for my 6BTV vertical enters my house near the electric panel.  I would like to put an outdoor lighning arrestor in the coax. The electric service ground rod is only a few feet away. Can I run a ground wire from the lighning arrestor to the electric service ground rod or should I use a separate ground rod?

You should also ground your antenna mast if you have one, as it is required per NEC.

I'm doing this now and I just bought a grounding box and arrestors from DX Engineering.

My mast ground wire terminates to the aluminum ground panel in the DX grounding box.

My lightening arrestors are flange mounted to the aluminum panel as well.

This single point panel is then bonded to a supplemental ground rod with #6AWG, which is in turn bonded to the AC ground rod with #6AWG, per NEC.

[K9KJM]

As already pointed out, The proper way to do it is to ground your antenna mast, Install a new ground rod for your coax entry, And then be sure to BOND those grounds all together.

(Note that proper bonding of grounds is the most important part of lightning protection. The "device" used is way down the list of importance to protecting a station. Bonding/ grounding is the priority.)