Hi, Ron:
Years ago, when I was setting up my Ham radio station in a very
large bookcase in the living room - an interior room of the house - I was
effectively prevented from providing an rf ground to the outdoors. So,
notwithstanding that I did not have r f i issues, I purchased the MFJ 931
Artificial Ground and installed into my system, including 3 varying lengths
of wires per the instructions. I did not notice any positive or negative
effects of the artificial ground hookup, but then I did not have noticeable
rf/r f i problems of which I was aware. Any time that I messed with the
controls of the MFJ unit, I couldn't tell if there was any difference. I
recently took it off line and it occupies a dark place in a closet.
Although I have no true or artificial ground setup with my ham
station, I do use barrel clamp toroids on most cable and jumper cable
connections. Additionally, I have an 8 foot buried copper ground rod
connected to the outer braid of my feedline to my Alpha Delta DXCC multi
band dipole. I took the liberty of inserting a 1:1 500 watt rated current
balun on the dipole where the coax feedline joins the center conducter. I
have never noticed a problem with r f i, but, however, I only run barefoot
at 100 watts or less.
I guess my long diatribe is just to say that I found no joy in the
MFJ 931 Artificial Ground under my circumstances, but with low power and
barrel clamp toroids on all cables, and feedline grounding, there are
different ways to address issues or to prevent them. But then again, your
mileage may vary.
Good Luck! Dave Weigel KD4JEZ
-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2015 2:09 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: MFJ-931 Artificial RF Ground
Have any of you used the MFJ-931 Artificial RF Ground? If so, what do you
think of it? How well did it work for you? Can a blind person, a person
without useable eyesight, adjust it easily and effectively?
Ron, K8HSY
Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
Retired Professor of Marketing
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