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Author Topic: Re-evaluating my station's design...  (Read 819 times)

KG0BA

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Re-evaluating my station's design...
« on: December 11, 2020, 10:09:59 AM »

I operate a Yaesu FT-847, 100 Watt, HF/VHF/SSB/CW transceiver, which is powered by an Astron RS-35M Power Supply, which provides 25 Amp continuous load, and it has a 35 Watt Surge Amp rating.

I have a Yaesu FC-20 automatic tuner installed in-line immediately after the FT-847 transceiver, and there's an MFJ-804 SWR/Watt Meter installed in-line after the Yaesu FC-20 automatic tuner.

The Yaesu FT-847 transceiver, and the lamp on the SWR/Power meter, are connected to an MFJ-1116, Deluxe Multiple Power Outlet, which is powered off of the Astron RS-35M power supply. The automatic tuner is powered off the Yaesu FT-847 transceiver via a factory cable connection.  The chassis' of all these components, except for the power strip, are connected to the copper bus bar using #8 insulated 200 Volt solid copper wire, and the Multi-power strip is connected to the bus bar using 3/8" wide tin coated braid, and each of the component leads are bolted in place at the copper bus bar.
 
The antenna is a Hustler 6-BTV Vertical HF antenna, 6-Band, 80, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10 meters, 1.5 kW, 24 ft., but no radials to date. I plan to add a radial system this Spring. The coax run between the station and the antenna is approximately 75-100 feet long, and the coax is within a buried PVC conduit. 

I have some homemade baluns constructed according to the antenna manufacturer's recommendations, one homemade balun/choke on the station end, and one homemade balun/choke at the base of the antenna. These homemade baluns/chokes consist of several wraps of coax wrapped around an approximate 8" long x 6" diameter PVC Pipe.  I plan to eventually incorporate a commercially produced balun/choke at the station instead of the homemade baluns/chokes, depending on whether RFI/noise is a problem. So far, RFI/Noise hasn't been a problem, but a commercially produced balun/choke may be even more effective with respect to further mitigating whatever degree of RFI/noise is present.

My system has been installed for over 20 years, and the system has made contacts many thousands of miles away from the Midwest USA, even without radials.

I'm in the process of re-evaluating my station, making updates to it's overall design, and I have several questions:

1.  What is the recommended copper bus bar size for my station?
2.  What is the recommended wire size, or mesh size if preferable, between my station components and the copper bus bar?
3.  What is the recommended wire size from the copper bus bar to a bonded ground rod? 

Any additional recommendations are also welcome, and very much appreciated!
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W9FIB

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Re: Re-evaluating my station's design...
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2020, 05:05:49 AM »

Here is what I use for my shack equipment ground.

I use a copper bus bar stock 1" x 48" x 3/16". I drilled and tapped #10 x 32 holes every 2 inches into the bar. Plenty of connection points easily accessed with just a screw driver.

The end closest to my electrical service, I used a lug connector to attach my ground wire. In my case, I ran 1 gauge wire from the lug on the bar to the ground bus in my service panel. I matched what was installed for the rest of the ground system.

Please note: This is overkill for an average house! But in my case, the ground system was set up for 500 amps total to 3 meters to 3 units in the building. In an average house 6 gauge wire is the minimum required and should be just fine.

For equipment grounding, I use 12 gauge green stranded wire. All with proper sized ring connectors properly crimped on. Remember to keep each wire as short as possible but yet neatly arranged with all the other cables.

I also use a green 10 gauge wire from the DC - output of my power supply to ground.
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73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

WS7X

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Re: Re-evaluating my station's design...
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2020, 05:28:18 PM »

I did like Stan.
Copper bus bar drilled and tapped, and secured to the back of the desk.   I put two ground rods just outside the shack cable entry point one ground rod length apart. Biggest wire you can comfortable work with for the equipment you're connecting.
 
Here's where many ground rods fail: How do you connect the ground wire to the ground rod you bury just outside the shack?  Most people just clamp the wire to the ground rod.  Problem is it doesn't matter how tight you clamp it.  It will corrode and the connection will be useless in almost no time.  If you want it to act like a ground for a long time, it must be welded.  Cad welds work great, or if you can weld copper to copper.  Good luck
Noel
WS7X
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