Whether for permanent or temporary installations, well-built clamps are the unsung heroes of a Ham radio station’s grounding system. When looking for the right clamps for your application, keep in mind that choosing from your storehouse of any-old-used clamp is not your best course of action. Ideally, you’ll want to find clamps that are specifically made for grounding purposes. Here are four available options from DX Engineering:
Universal Copper Grounding Clamps (DXE-UCGC-Z): These two-piece, easy-to-assemble clamps let you mount up to six lightning protectors on a single ground rod. Compatible protectors include those from DX Engineering, PolyPhaser, and Alpha Delta. Made from 1/16-inch thick copper alloy 110 for maximum conductivity, the clamps feature an upgraded “Z” design that makes it easy to install and remove coaxial cable connectors. Additionally, a solid copper strap from the station grounding bus bar may also be sandwiched between the copper plates of this clamp and the ground rod. Clamps fit common 5/8 inch through 3/4 inch diameter ground rods. Stainless steel hardware is included.
Five Stars: “Works exactly as expected. Clamped it to the ground rod directly and attached coax surge protector using the supplied screw. Let’s hope I never need it to work!”
Five Stars: “Using your grounding clamp is the easiest and most secure way to mount PolyPhaser lightning protectors.”
Copper Strap Bonding Clamps: These clamps are perfect for easy, mechanical attachment of grounding conductors or straps to each other or to ground rods. Choose from two options designed for high-performance grounding installations:
- Copper strap to copper-clad ground rod clamps that fit 5/8 inch and 3/4 inch rod sizes to 1-1/2 to 2 inch flat copper strap (DXE-58R-112S-2).
- Strap-to-strap style clamps (DXE-MSC-3) that bond two copper straps together—a smart choice for extending an existing run or adding drops to your equipment. This provides a convenient way to bond heavy-gauge copper wire (6 AWG to 1 AWG) to flat copper grounding straps (size 1-1/2 to 3 inches).
All copper bonding clamps include 18-8 stainless steel hardware.
Five Stars: “These clamps were very easy to install. They are soft enough to deform when the bolts are tightened, resulting in a secure connection between the ground rod and the copper strap.”
Five Stars: “It seems DXE always has a solution in stock! I had to extend a 2″ copper strap and sat there scratching my head until I found the MSC-3. Another perfect solution for me from DXE.”
Grounding Clamp Kits: These clamps are used to connect wire grounding conductors of 2 through 10 AWG to a ground rod, tower leg, or grounded pipe. Made from cast bronze, a highly conductive copper alloy, the clamps come with ¼ inch-20 stainless steel screws for maximum longevity and durability. These clamps also accept the stud from DX Engineering’s DXE-IS-RCT control line protectors to provide the proper protection of rotator control lines at the base of a grounded tower. Two types are available:
- For 5/8 inch to 1-1/4 inch OD rod or pipe
- For 1-1/4 inch to 2-1/4 inch OD rod or pipe
Five Stars: “This
is a good solid clamp. I bought this two-piece clamp to place on a ground rod
that is topped with lightning surge protectors which is already driven into the
ground. The clamp was easy to use and is tight on the ground rod. I have
already ordered some more!”
Tower Leg Ground Clamps: These provide a good ground connection between your copper ground strap and tower legs. Crafted from marine-quality 300 Series stainless steel, they include a stainless steel inner metal leaf to buffer the copper from touching your galvanized tower legs. These worm-gear transition clamps are available to fit 5/8 inch up to 3-1/4 inch tower leg/ground strap combos.
Five Stars: “Excellent for copper strap to Rohn tower.”
Go to DXEngineering.com to view the complete lineup of DX Engineering branded grounding equipment and lightning protection, including surge arrestors, enclosure kits, copper strap bonding clamps, universal copper grounding clamps, RF ground plane kits, bearing bypass ground kits, and more. Need a comprehensive resource for grounding your station? We highly recommend OnAllBands blogger Ward Silver, N0AX’s book, ARRL’s Grounding and Bonding for the Radio Amateur.
