Alfred Bauer wrote:

I want to install a ssb radio on my aluminium sailing yacht. The person who
installs the radio says that the grounding plate should be welded on the
inside of the hull. The hull is fully painted with anti fouling. He argues
that the high frequency connection to the see water is made through a
capacitor effect, the hull acting as a big capacitor, the water being the
other side and the antifouling in between is the isolator.

I hardly can believe that this works.

Is this true ?

Can this work ?

Has any one experience with SSB grounding on aluminium hulls.



Alfred



It's true.

The insulating antifouling is working as a dielectric, with the sea
acting as the other pole of the capacitor.

A properly designed antenna does not rely on an earth connection,
except to provide a local reference against which remote and local
static may be compared and amplified.

A proper antenna has a + and a - terminal and provides a bifilar,
balanced signal, which is totally isolated from local static.

It's difficult to provide a proper balanced antenna at SSB
frequencies on most yachts, so all you can do is work the best
compromise for you. Hint: try a kite! I would even try a mashthead
towline for an outrigger / keel / float / antenna line, or two, one
on each side.

Terry K