The National Electrical Code (NEC) in section 810 requires that the antenna mast and the coaxial cable be bonded to the home’s ground electrode system (GES), which is usually the ground rod installed at the power meter and breaker box. There are other options listed in Section 250 of the NEC, but the GES is preferred.
A separate ground rod is not required, and is not recommended. If a separate ground rod is used, it must be connected to the GES with a minimum 6 AWG copper conductor.
The ground for the mast should be as direct and short as possible, with minimal bends, using a minimum of 10 AWG copper wire (or 17 AWG copper-clad steel or bronze wire). It can be connected to the GES using a split bolt connector available at most hardware and home centers.
The coaxial cable that comes from the antenna also needs to be connected to the GES. This is accomplished by using a ground block located as close as possible to where the coaxial cable enters the building. The ground block then is connected to the GES using 14 AWG or larger with as short of a run as possible, and again with minimal bends. A separate split nut can be used to bond the coaxial cable ground to the GES.
Depending upon the physical constraints, our Splitters (CM-3212HD, CM-3213HD) can be utilized instead of a separate grounding block.