This is my current arrangement when camping in my travel trailer, at parks WITH power: Icom 7200 MFJ993B Tuner MFJ4230MVP Power Supply plugged into extension cord and surge protector at the camp power. pole, not the camper Buddipole Antenna I set up outside the camper, not inside. Works very well, contacts all over the US and DX. Question - I am using ground wires from the radio and tuner to a 2ft copper rod hammered in the ground about 1ft. Do I need to do this? If the weather turns stormy I unplug and take the station down. Is there another reason to ground equipment I haven't learned yet?
I'm afraid you don't have much of a ground with a 2 foot ground rod (one foot in the ground). So, personally, I wouldn't bother.
In a temporary portable operation you don’t need a ground rod for electrical safety or as an RF ground. A 1-ft ground rod won’t buy you much of either in any event. Your only exposure to electrical shock is from the power supply. I prefer power supplies with a chassis grounded to the electrical power supply - these are pretty darned safe. If storms threaten, I lower antennas and disconnect everything. Mike
Safety ground is provided through the electrical outlet. The Buddipole is a balanced antenna and requires no grounding for RF effectiveness. Your operations is mobile and temporary. One would not be expected to install a lightning protection system.
You are doing fine. For being licensed five months you've jumped in with both feet. Have a ball on the air! bill
I know this thread is a year or so old, but have you ever thought of clamping on to the water faucet at the shore station (that is you are hooked up at a park). I have an old renegade half of a jumper cable that I ground my camper to when I am in a park. It should have a copper pipe buried for quit a ways. Then again, I hardly ever bother with a ground of any kind for my radios.
I haven't seen a copper water pipe in a campground in years. Everything out there is plastic these days.
