[GreenKeys] BC-610 "ground" wire

[Charles]

On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:10:35 -0500, you wrote:

> I saw a piece of # 18 bell wire heading out the door of his bedroom and out the back door, on 
> the floor.  Following it, it went to a 24 inch copper rod pounded into a 
> large flower pot (!) on the back porch, and the other end was screwed to the
> BC-610 chassis...

as Wolfgang Pauli once said, "that's not even wrong".

However, I should point out that it's not quite as insane as it
sounds - if the transmitter is located a significant fraction of a
wavelength away from earth ground, such as on the second or third
floor, it is impractical to create a good RF ground.

So what is sometimes used instead is an artificial "ground" known
as a counterpoise (I think). A wire cut to a quarter-wavelength at
the desired frequency is attached to the ground terminal and run
away from the shack along the floor and around the room... the far
end being a high-Z point means the near end has to be a low-Z
point.

(although I am sure the "installer" had no such idea).
-Charles
WB3JOK/0