Grounding

[schulmeia]

I recently joined the D* family. After my systen install I noted that my ststem was not grounded. I called my local D* installer and questioned if the system should be grounded. I was referred to the tech that installed my system. He indicated he would have to add several new wires to my system to facilitate the gronding. He indicated he was still learning about system grounding and would be out to my place the following Monday to install the grounding. He never showed. I will call the local installer again today to find out when they will be out to complate the work.

My question is how important is grounding. What does grounding do?? Does it provide a protection?? I wonder how many systems D* has installed that are ungrounded. Are D* installers not being properly trained??

 

[cparker]

For one thing, proper grounding will bleed off the static charge that gathers on the antenna. I've heard this makes it less susceptible to lightning strikes. In case of a lightning strike, however, all bets are off.

 

[Widescreen]

My 2 E* dishes went up in 2001 and have never been grounded because the guy who installed it didn't ground them. I didn't notice for quite a while and it's bothered me ever since I found out. I'm going to make the guy coming to install my DirecTV system on Monday ground the dish (I'm also going to take down my to E* dishes).

 

[Supershooters]

I wonder how many systems D* has installed that are ungrounded.

A lot are grounded since most receivers now have a 3-prong power cord. But if you're talking coax there is really a small percentage of installs that actually have ground blocks in the line. And not just D* or E* but a lot of commercial work C-band/Ku-band installs never have coax grounding, at least out west. I've conversed with many people on this and it just basically depends on where you are and who you talk to. SES Americom will say satellite systems are suppose to be grounded to stay within the electric code of the U.S. SES Astra on the other hand says they don't need it (Europe), both part of SES Global.

I've seen a lot of satellite systems and outside of D* or E* grounding is rarely mentioned.

 

[Bob Nielsen]

If Directv sends out someone from QC to inspect the work, the installer will get dinged if it isn't grounded. All of my receivers (H24, HR21, HR24) have only 2-wire power cords.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Per NEC the system should be grounded. Will it effect your system, probably not. All it is meant to do is disapate static build up on the dish. Does not protect against lighting strikes. Don't get too excited by it, I have seen 15 year old systems that never had a ground, and never had a problem.

Should it be grounded, yes.

 

[cparker]

I have an "L" shaped ranch home. My dish is mounted on the complete opposite end of the house from where my electrical meter/service entrance is located. I put another 8ft copper grounding bar into the ground (try a really big hammer-drill and some water.... makes it a lot easier) and then ran about 80 feet of #6 wire around the house to the main house ground rod and bonded the 2 together. Turf-trenched the bonding wire as it's mostly against the house. My OTA antenna is also grounded to that bonding wire as it's about halfway between the dish and electric meter.

Was it a lot of work? .... kinda, I suppose.... but it's correct. I don't get any odd audio hum from any equipment. I sleep knowing it's done right. Would an installer go through all this trouble? I strongly suspect not. I also strongly suspect they don't get paid enough to pick up the cost of doing this in either materials or time. But it's my house and my equipment and I'm the one that has to live with it.

So I asked around, made sure I knew the correct way to do it. And it's done.

Just my 2 cents.... but really... would you put crappy oil in your car or eat vegetables that didn't look quite right? I have a fair amount of money tied up in AV equipment AND my house. Not as much as some, but a fair amount to me.

 

[Widescreen]

The guy who installed my D* dish on Monday was fantastic. He mounted the dish on the edge of the roof directly over the electrical service entrance (we have a 2-story house). He dropped the cable straight down the side of the house and did a couple of loops into a grounding block which then ties to the ground on the electric meter. Very professional looking job. Which is a far cry from the dummies that installed my 2 E* dishes at the peak of the roof and then just dropped coax through a rooftop vent into the attic. I'm going to go up this weekend and take down my E* dishes and enjoy the fact that I now have a grounded system.