Power, Grounding, Bonding, And Audio For Ham Ra... Apr 2026

Every station should ideally have a single reference point for all grounds. Connecting to multiple disparate earth grounds (e.g., one for the AC service and another for the radio) creates ground loops , which can introduce hum and invite lightning surges into the shack.

Many hams mistakenly chase an "RF ground" to fix interference, but at radio frequencies, long wires have high impedance and do not act as effective grounds. Power, Grounding, Bonding, and Audio for Ham Ra...

In the amateur radio world, "grounding" and "bonding" are frequently used interchangeably, but they serve distinct purposes: Every station should ideally have a single reference