RV radio mast antenna grounding for AM reception
This is a followup to my original post about no AM radio reception in our new KZ Spree due to the TV antenna not supporting AM.
I purchased an internal car radio antenna from West Marine which is essentially 40 in. of wire attached to a coax cable feeding a Motorola connector that mates to the antenna jack on the back of the radio. This gave good FM reception and some AM reception for strong stations. I also learned a lot about RFI generated by the converter and other appliances.
I now have a RV 30 in. mast radio antenna like our previous TT antenna and have started running some tests with it before it is permanently mounted on the roof. This antenna comes with about 9 in. of metal braid with a ground lug attached. In my initial testing it appears that that gnd connection improves AM reception even if only connected to a nearby aluminum ladder. I have not figured out how to get frame ground to the lug yet without running about 8 ft. of wire to a known ground point .
My question is where are you supposed to pick up ground within 9 in. of the roof where the antenna is to be mounted? Also does anyone know if the antenna cable shield becomes grounded when it is connected to the radio antenna jack or is the shield part of the connector isolated from 12V ground?
I purchased an internal car radio antenna from West Marine which is essentially 40 in. of wire attached to a coax cable feeding a Motorola connector that mates to the antenna jack on the back of the radio. This gave good FM reception and some AM reception for strong stations. I also learned a lot about RFI generated by the converter and other appliances.
I now have a RV 30 in. mast radio antenna like our previous TT antenna and have started running some tests with it before it is permanently mounted on the roof. This antenna comes with about 9 in. of metal braid with a ground lug attached. In my initial testing it appears that that gnd connection improves AM reception even if only connected to a nearby aluminum ladder. I have not figured out how to get frame ground to the lug yet without running about 8 ft. of wire to a known ground point .
My question is where are you supposed to pick up ground within 9 in. of the roof where the antenna is to be mounted? Also does anyone know if the antenna cable shield becomes grounded when it is connected to the radio antenna jack or is the shield part of the connector isolated from 12V ground?
