TIA has recently published a new ANSI/TIA-607-B-2011 Bonding and Grounding (Earthing) Standard for

Customer Premises. This is a major revision of the standard and contains a lot of new material. For this
months article, I wanted to provide a brief overview of its main components as well as the main differences
compared to the previous edition of the standard.
The primary purpose of telecommunications bonding and grounding infrastructure is to create a low resistance
(low impedance) path to ground and thereby to equalize ground potentials and to reduce the problems
associated with ground potential differences.
In order to understand the structure of a bonding and grounding system for telecommunications, it is first
necessary to learn the terminology of the components that comprise the system, as follows: TMGB
Telecommunications Main Grounding Busbar is connected to the buildings main ground, which is also
referred to as a building grounding electrode system. The TMGB is the central attachment point for the
TBB(s) and equipment. TBB Telecommunications Bonding Backbone is a conductor that originates at the
TMGB and follows the backbone pathways to connect to the TGBs in various distributors
(telecommunications rooms) throughout the building. The TBB conductor size depends on the length and
shall be a minimum of 6 AWG for lengths up to 4 meters and should increase in size at 2 kcmil per linear foot
of conductor all the way up to 750* kcmil for lengths greater than 91 meters. (*Note: This is new. The
maximum conductor size for the TBB in the J-STD-607-A standard was a 3/0 conductor.) TGB
Telecommunications Grounding Busbar is the grounding connection point for telecommunications systems
and equipment in the area served by a distributor. GE Grounding Equalizer is used within a multistory
building to interconnect multiple TBBs at the top floor and at a minimum of every third floor in between to
the lowest floor level. As a minimum, the GE shall be the same size as the largest TBB. BCT Bonding
Conductor for Telecommunications is used to bond the TMGB to the service equipment (power) ground. As a
minimum, the BCT shall be the same size as the largest TBB.
Clause 6 of the TIA 607-B standard provides more detailed information on the materials and the construction
of the TMGB and the TGB. The TIA 607-B standard now allows the use of copper alloys having a minimum
of 95% conductivity in addition to copper or electrotin-plated copper for the TMGB and TGB.
Clause 7 of the TIA 607-B standard provides information on how to design a telecommunications bonding
and grounding infrastructure for bonding of metallic pClause 7 of the TIA 607-B standard provides
information on how to design a telecommunications bonding and grounding infrastructure for bonding of
metallic pathways, cable shields, racks, enclosures and equipment in telecommunications rooms, equipment
rooms, and entrance facilities.
The TIA 607-B standard also provides guidance in several Annexes on the design of Grounding Electrodes,
Grounding Systems for Towers and Antennas and Electrical Protection of Telecommunications Circuits.
One of the most notable additions to the TIA 607-B standard compared to the previous edition is the bonding
and grounding of equipment in computer rooms. For example, the standard states that a computer room
should also contain a supplementary bonding network, such as a mesh-BN, that is bonded (and thus becomes
grounded) to the TGB or TMGB. A mesh-BN as the name implies consists of a bonding grid of conductors,
either flat conductors or bare round wire, joined together via proper welding, brazing, listed compression
connectors, or listed grounding clamps at each of the crossing points.

Metallic enclosures, including telecommunications cabinets and racks, shall be bonded to the mesh-BN, TGB,
or TMGB using a minimum sized conductor of No. 6 AWG.
A new term Telecommunications Equipment Bonding Conductor (TEBC) is used for the conductor that
connects the equipment racks and cabinets to the TMGB/TGB.
The standard also provides information on how to establish the connections to a TEBC and how to bond the
equipment in a rack or enclosure. In summary, the main difference in the new TIA 607-B Bonding &
Grounding Standard is that it does not stop at the busbar (TGB), but extends all the way out to the equipment.
It provides design requirements on how to build and test a bonding and grounding infrastructure to ensure a
reliable, low resistance path to ground.
The recommended maximum value for resistance between any point in the telecommunications bonding and
grounding system and the buildings electrical grounding electrode system is 100 milliohms. There is a lot
more to bonding and grounding for telecommunications than meets the eye.
There are a lot of nuances and procedures that are not well understood. The reader is encouraged to consult
the TIA 607-B standard on how to properly design and implement a telecommunications bonding and
grounding system for customer premises.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A structured cabling system is a complete system of cabling and associated hardware, which
provides a comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure. This infrastructure serves a wide
range of uses, such as to provide telephone service or transmit data through a computer network. It
should not be device dependent.
We further define a structured cabling system in terms of ownership. The structured cabling system
begins at the point where the service provider (SP) terminates. This point is the point of
demarcation (demarc) or Network Interface Device (NID).
For example, in a telephone system installation, the SP furnishes one or more service lines (per
customer requirements). The SP connects the service lines at the point of demarcation.
The U.S. cabling industry accepts the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), in conjunction
with TIA/EIA, as the responsible organization for providing and maintaining standards and practices
within the profession. It has published a series of standards to design, install, and maintain cabling
installations. These help to ensure a proper cabling installation.

The benefits of these standards include:

Consistency of design and installation;

Conformance to physical and transmission line requirements;

A basis for examining a proposed system expansion and other changes; and
Uniform documentation.
The industry standard term for a network installation that serves a relatively small area (such as a
structured cabling installation serving a building) is a local area network (LAN). There are also
metropolitan area networks (MANs) and wide area networks (WANs).
Structured cabling installations typically include: entrance facilities; vertical and horizontal backbone
pathways; vertical and horizontal backbone cables; horizontal pathways; horizontal cables; work
area outlets; equipment rooms; telecommunications closets; cross-connect facilities; multi-user
telecommunications outlet assemblies (MUTOA); transition points; and consolidation points.
The entrance facility includes the cabling components needed to provide a means to connect the
outside service facilities to the premises cabling. This can include service entrance pathways,
cables, connecting hardware, circuit protection devices, and transition hardware.
An entrance facility houses the transition outside plant cabling to cabling approved for intrabuilding
construction. This usually involves transition to fire-rated cable. The entrance facility is also the
network demarc between the SP and customer premises cabling (if required). National and regional
electrical codes govern placement of electrical protection devices at this point.
The location of the entrance facility depends on the type of facility, route of the outside plant cabling
(e.g. buried or aerial), building architecture, and aesthetic considerations. The four principal types of
entrance facilities include underground, tunnel, buried, and aerial. (We will cover only aerial
entrances in this article.)
In an aerial entrance, the SP cables provide service to a building via an overhead route. Aerial
entrances usually provide the lowest installation cost, and they're readily accessible for
maintenance. However, they're subject to traffic and pedestrian clearances, can damage a
building's exterior, are susceptible to environmental conditions (such wind and ice), and are usually
joint-use installations with the power company, CATV company, and telephone or data service
providers.

Backbone cabling. From the entrance facility, the structured cabling network branches out to other
buildings, as well as from floor to floor within a building on the backbone cabling system. We use
the term backbone to describe the cables handling the major network traffic.
The ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A standard defines backbone cabling as follows: "The function of the
backbone cabling is to provide interconnections between telecommunications closets, equipment
rooms, and entrance facilities in the telecommunications cabling system structure. Backbone
cabling consists of the backbone cables, intermediate and main cross-connects, mechanical
terminations, and patch cords or jumpers used for backbone-to-backbone cross-connection.
Backbone cabling also includes cabling between buildings."
Interbuilding and intrabuilding are two types of backbone cables. Interbuilding backbone cable
handles traffic between buildings. Intrabuilding backbone cable handles traffic between closets in a
single building.
This standard identifies two levels of backbone cabling. First-level backbone is a cable between a
main cross-connect (MC) and intermediate cross-connect (IC) or horizontal cross-connect (HC).
Second-level backbone exists between an IC and HC.
The main components of backbone cabling are:

Cable pathways: shafts, conduits, raceways, and floor penetrations (such as sleeves or slots)
that provide routing space for the cables.

The actual cables: optical fiber, twisted-pair copper, coaxial copper, or some combination of
these. (Note: You should avoid areas where potential sources of EMI or electromagnetic
interference may exist when planning the routing and support structure for copper cabling.)
Connecting hardware: connecting blocks, patch panels, interconnections, cross-connections,
or some combination of these components, and
Miscellaneous support facilities: cable support hardware, firestopping and grounding
hardware. Note: The terms horizontal and backbone (previously called riser) evolved from the
orientations typical for functional cables of these types. However, the physical orientation of the
cabling has no bearing on classifying the cable as horizontal or backbone.

The useful life of a backbone cabling system consists of several planned growth periods (typically
three to 10 years). This is shorter than the life expectancy of the premises cabling system.
Cabling connectors. A connector is a mechanical device you use to interface a cable to a piece of
equipment or one cable to another. The role of the connector is to provide a coupling mechanism
that keeps loss to a minimum.

In the case of fiber, it allows light impulses to transfer from one connector to another. For copper, it
allows electrical signals to transfer from one connector to another.
A good connection requires aligning the connectors, preventing the connectors from unintentional
separation, and efficient transferring of light or electricity from one connector to the other.
A connector demonstrates durability by withstanding hundreds of insertion and withdrawal cycles
without failing. We calculate this as mean time between failures (MTBF).
Connectors are as essential to the integrity of the entire telecommunications network as is the cable
itself. Connectors align, attach, and decouple the media to a transmitter, receiver, another media of
same or similar type, an active telecommunications device, or a specified passive
telecommunications device.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ANTENNAS
THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF A RADIO ANTENNA SYSTEM OFTEN (PERHAPS USUALLY) hangs
on whether or not it has a good RF ground. Poor grounds cause most antennas to operate at less than best
efficiency. In fact, it is possible to burn up between 50 and 90 percent of your RF power heating the ground
losses under the antenna, instead of propagating into the air. Ground resistances can vary from very low
values of 5 , up to more than 100 (5 to 30 is a frequently quoted range). RF power is dissipated in the
ground resistance. The factors that affect the ground resistance include the conductivity of the ground, its
composition, and the water content. The ideal ground depth is rarely right on the surface, and depending on
local water table level might be a couple meters or so below the surface.
Fortunately, there are some fixes that will help your situation. We can reduce the ground resistance by either
altering the composition of the earth surrounding the ground point, or by using a large surface area conductor
as the ground point. Figure 29-1 shows the traditional ground rod used on small radio stations, including
amateur stations. Use either a copper (or copper-clad steel) rod at least 6 ft long (8 ft preferred). Electrical
supply houses, as well as amateur radio and communications equipment suppliers, also sell these ground rods.
Do not use the nonclad steel types sold by some electrical supply houses. They are usable by electricians
when making a service entrance ground on your home or workplace, but RF applications require the low skin
resistance of the copper-clad variety. The rod need not be all copper, because of skin effect forcing the RF
current to flow only on the outer surface of the rod. Try to use an 8-ft rod if at all possible, because it will
work better than the shorter kind. Do not bother with the small TV-antenna 4-ft ground rods; they are next to
useless for HF radio stations. Drive the ground rod into the earth until only 6 in or so remains above the
surface. Connect a ground wire from your station to the ground rod The ground wire should be as short as
possible. Furthermore, it should be a lowinductance conductor. Use either heavy braid (or the outer conductor
stripped from RG-8 or RG-11 coaxial cable) or sheet copper. You can buy rolls of sheet copper from metal
distributors in widths from 4 in up to about 18 in. Some amateurs prefer to use 7-in-wide foil that is rated at a
weight of 1 lb/linear ft. Sweat-solder the ground wire to the rod. You can get away with using mechanical
connections like the electricians use, but you will eventually have to service the installation when corrosion
takes its toll. I prefer to use soldered connections, and then cover the joint with either petroleum jelly or

acrylic spray lacquer. Another alternative is to use a copper plumbing pipe as the ground rod. The pipe can be
purchased in 8-ft through 16-ft lengths from plumbing supply shops or hardware stores. The pipe selected
should be 3 4 in or larger. Some people report using up to 2-in pipe for this application. The surface area of
the hollow pipe is greater than that of a solid rod of the same diameter. Because of certain current flow
geometries in the system, however, the ground resistance is not half the resistance of a rod of the same
diameter, but is nonetheless lower. Driving a long pipe into the ground is not easily done. Unlike the copperclad steel rod, the pipe has no compression strength and will deform when you hit it with a hammer or other
driving tool. To overcome this problem.
Altering soil conductivity The conductivity of the soil determines how well, or how poorly, it conducts
electrical current (Table 29-1). Moist soil over a brackish water dome conducts best (southern swamps make
better radio station locations), and the sand of the western deserts makes the worst conductor.
grounds Radials/counterpoise The effectiveness of the ground system is enhanced substantially by the use of
radials either above ground or buried under the surface. Figure 29-5 shows a vertical

antenna with three different forms of radials: aboveground, subsurface, and ground rod. It is not unreasonable
to use both radials and a ground rod. Note (from Chap. 7) that vertical antennas are relatively ineffective
unless provided with a good ground system, and for most installations that requirement is best met through a
system of ground radials. An effective system of radials requires a large number of radials. Although as few as
two quarter-wavelength resonant radials will provide an improvement, the best performance is to use more.
Broadcasters in the AM band (550 to 1640 kHz) are advised to use 120 half-wavelength radials. Installing
more than 120 radials is both expensive and time-consuming, but does not provide any substantial
improvement. For amateur and small commercial stations, use a minimum of 16 quarter-wavelength radials.
Above ground, the use of insulated wire is recommended, but not required. Below ground, noninsulated wire
is preferred. Although some sources claim that any size wire from no. 26 up to no. 10 can be used, it is best to
use larger sizes in that range (i.e., no. 14 through no. 10). Either solid or stranded wire can be used. The layout
for a system of radials in a vertical antenna system is depicted in a view from above in Fig. 29-6. Here, the
radials are laid out in a uniform pattern around the antenna element. This coverage provides both the lowest
resistance and the best radiation pattern for the antenna. Solder all radials together at a common point, which
might be the ground or mounting rod used to support the vertical antenna.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Station grounding It does no good to provide a topflight ground system, such as those shown earlier in this
chapter, if the connection between the station equipment and the ground system is substandard. Figure 29-7
shows a method used by the author to good effect. On the back of the operating position is a sheet of copper, 7
in wide, running the length of the equipment platform. This form of copper, in the 1-lb/sq ft weight, is used on
older houses for roofing flashing. Each piece of equipment is connected to the ground sheet through a short
length of braid harvested from RG-8 or RG-11 coaxial cable shield. RF accessories, such as the low-pass TV
interference filter (if usedit should be) are mounted directly to the copper sheet. In one installation, the
author was able to drop the copper sheet down from the table to connect directly to the ground system outside
the building. The run was less than 40 in. But in other cases, a short length of braid wire will be more
practical.

Tuning the ground wire An alternative that some operators use is the ground wire tuner. These instruments
insert an inductor or capacitor (or a LC network) in series with the ground line. You adjust the ground line
tuner for maximum ground current at the operating frequency. MFJ Electronics, Inc., Mississippi State, MS,
makes one of these devices. Conclusion A high-quality, low-resistance ground might seem costly to install,
but in reality it pays rich dividends in the functioning of your antenna. Dont overlook the quality of the
ground, or you might be in the position of being penny wise and pound foolish.

7 Ground system inside shack