Grounding a mast

[rhasselbaum]

Hi. Tried posting these questions in an existing thread, but I guess it was too old to get noticed, so I'll try again.

I just moved my OTA antenna to a mast over the roof, and now I'm trying to ground the mast. Looked through the existing threads on this topic, but I still have questions.

How does one usually gain access to the house's electrical ground from the roof? Can I just run a copper wire all the way to the same exterior grounding block that the antenna is attached to? That would involve running the wire along the side of the house a fair distance (around 50 feet). Is that wise? What type of wire should I use for that distance? Can the wire be attached with regular electrical tape to any exposed metal on the block?

If anyone has a link to step-by-step instructions on how to ground a mast for the electrically inept, that'd be great.

Thanks!

 

[cdru]

How does one usually gain access to the house's electrical ground from the roof?

Via a length of solid copper wire via the most direct, but still convienent, route.

Can I just run a copper wire all the way to the same exterior grounding block that the antenna is attached to?

Yes. If that block is already grounded properly

That would involve running the wire along the side of the house a fair distance (around 50 feet). Is that wise?

And the alternative would be? the point of a ground wire is to provide a save way to discharge an accumulated charge (static electricity) as well as a safe ground point in case of an electrical malfunction (e.g. an 120VAC line comes into contact with your dish). In the latter case, this should be enough to trip the breaker or blow a fuse before someone is injured. Running it 50' is fine.

What type of wire should I use for that distance?

A larger guage sold copper wire. As to specific guage I can't say...10 should be more then enough.

Can the wire be attached with regular electrical tape to any exposed metal on the block?

No. You will need to get a grounding clamp or a split-bolt to properly attach it. Both will provide a positive secure connection that won't loosen or disappear over time.

 

[rhasselbaum]

Hmm... how important is the solid copper? I have a 50' length of stranded 12 guage copper (complete with green insulation). Will that cut it?