The R56 Manual is an excellent guide to planning and installing a two-way radio site, although its primary purpose is for planning cellular and PCS sites. The sections on permitting and getting along with neighbors is very useful. The table of contents can be viewed here:
<www.repeater-builder.com/pdf/r56-manual-toc.pdf> One area that I object to is the section on electrical system grounding, and I have filed a formal complaint with the authors to have it changed to comply with the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70. The R56 Manual proposes that the equipment grounding conductor be run to a "single-point ground" plate over a different path than that followed by the hot and neutral conductors. Unfortunately, that practice clearly violates Article 250 of the NEC that requires the equipment grounding conductor (the green or bare wire) to run in the same raceway or cable that contains the hot and neutral wires. As an electrical inspector and a designer of radio systems, I can see many different views of the "proper" way to ground sensitive electronic equipment. I also see some really creative but dangerous methods of floating the ground on equipment, supposedly to prevent noise. More often than not, these methods increase noise and make the equipment much more vulnerable to damage from lightning strikes. The bottom line is that the insurance carrier may not cover any losses if an investigation reveals that the electrical grounding system was not in full compliance with the NEC. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of radiomog Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 12:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Repeater-Builder] R56 Just wondering how many of you know about R56 and actually try to follow it as a guide? we've had a run-in with a motorola ss owner who wasn't too knowledgeable. Well, maybe he is, but the work he does doesn't even come close to good business practices.
