[bobnielsen]

My dish (AT-9) is mounted with a custom tripod I made (basically three metal fence posts) and and is cemented into the ground at three places. The collar of the dish is resecured with two 1/2" thick 4" long bolts holding it together via holes drilled in the mounting pole. Metal contacts metal everywhere, the install itself is sound.

My grounding block is located on my house right behind the dish, loops of coax on both sides. There is a grounding wire from the grounding block to the dish, but none from the dish to the ground or from the block to the ground. Would that be necessary? I couldn't see the need to drive a grounding rod into the ground and run a wire from it when my entire dish is mounted with three large metal poles run into the ground. Am I missing something?

edit: there is no metal anything nearby, my last dish I just drove a 4 foot metal grounding rod into the yard and ran a 14ga wire to that, but it's in a different part of the yard

Your local building code probably incorporates the National Electrical Code, which requires that the dish and mount be grounded. Typically this requires an 8-foot copper or copper-clad ground rod and a 10 gauge copper wire connection (it should also be bonded to the main service ground).

 

[bobnielsen]

Geeze 8 feet is crazy, and the "main service ground" is on the other side of the property! I suppose I could take the sledge and drive in an 8 foot stake...

Wait how do installers do this? Surely dishes aren't always put near the "main service ground" and I can't see installers pounding in 8 foot stakes!

The installers who have put in dishes here (both Dish and DTV) have ignored any grounding requirement. I plan to add it myself.

It is permissible to tie it to the water pipes (unless plastic), since those are tied to the service ground.